


Suitors

by feminabeata



Series: Femina Beata's Fan Service [3]
Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: And he doesn't like it, M/M, Royalty, suitors going after gyu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-18
Packaged: 2018-02-07 14:39:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 27,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1902792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feminabeata/pseuds/feminabeata
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every prince needs a lovely bride...or a groom in this case.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And empty words are evil.

**Author's Note:**

> My take on Sunggyu-has-multiple-suitors trope.
> 
> And, yes, it will be slightly ridiculous.

"Go away."

"B-but I love you!" the man screamed desperately as he clung to the hem of Sunggyu's pants.

The prince just groaned and rubbed his face in his hands. He kicked his leg, narrowly missing hitting the man at his feet in the head (which might have given Sunggyu some slight satisfaction; the guy was annoying). "Go away, Sungyeol-ssi. And that's an order," he growled. Sungyeol looked up at him with shining eyes, his lower lips quivering. Sunggyu tightened his fists in anger. _This kid._ That's when he realized he was still holding the bouquet of flowers the other had gifted to him. He threw them at Sungyeol's pathetically sad face. "And take these with you. I'm not a f***ing princess!"

Sungyeol just let the flowers fall to the floor. A soft scoff passed through his lips which were slowly upturning into a smirk. "Fine," Sungyeol relented, getting up from the floor and brushing off the dirt from his stark white pants. "I didn't want to spend the rest of my life with some boring asshole like you anyway," he snarled as he stormed out of the throne room. The door to the room slammed shut. One of the guards rushed to open it back up, to allow in the next person, but Sunggyu's angry shout stopped him.

"Captain Lee, if you want to keep your job and your head, keep that f***ing door closed," Sunggyu shouted as he rubbed his aching temples.

Hoya's hand left the handle, and he chuckled slightly looking back up to the tormented prince (oh yes, because it was just so awful to receive confessions from hundreds of handsome suitors, male and female alike, everyday). "Your highness, if I may, that language doesn't really befit a prince," he lectured.

"No, you f***ing may not. I can talk however the f**k I want. And you can't stop me, you little-" The words halted in his throat as Hoya threw a deathly killer glare at him. Sunggyu hated to admit it, but the captain scared him...a lot. And it didn't help that he'd seen the guard beat other people into a pulp on a regular basis, and Sunggyu knew for a fact that Hoya would not hesitate to do the same to him, future king or no. "You very lovely person," the prince shifted to a happier tone and a more pleasant smile. Hoya's face relaxed into a triumphant smile.

"You look like you could use some rest, your highness. I'll tell the rest that you came down with the flu...yet again," Hoya said with a bow and then walked out of the room to deliver the message (not even waiting for Sunggyu's approval by the way, the captain tended to do whatever he thought best anyway).

Sunggyu sighed, looked at the bouquet resting on the floor, and smothered it with his foot. _So much for loving me_ , Sunggyu thought as his eyes drifted towards the door where Sungyeol had just left moments earlier. The departure of the other didn't pain his heart though, just his head. Sungyeol was just another legacy hunter, and a good actor at that. If Sunggyu hadn't been so used to dealing with that nasty breed, he might've fallen for the man, but luckily that wasn't the case. Unfortunately, besides the captain, legacy hunters were all that he was dealing with now.

Sunggyu stood up from his throne and made his way into his chambers.

"Oh, your highness, you're looking ravishing today."

"So pretty. Like a statue or a painting."

"Oh, let me get the door for you, your highness. I would hate for anything to happen to those pretty little hands." Even the help was after him, as the maid brushed passed his side to open the door with what he assumed she thought was a seductive look. Sunggyu bit back his tongue to fight back biting words. He could snap at Hoya because although the guard was always toeing the edge of insubordination, he was loyal. This lowly chambermaid would probably tell the whole kingdom about how the so-called sweet prince was actually bitter. He wasn't before, but a recent chain of events turned him this way.

It all started when his father was turned into stone, still living though but just barely. A witch whose land was experiencing the drought was not pleased with his father's inaction (there was little he could do about the weather, and it didn't help that he joked about the witch's poor abilities not being able to conjure rain herself). The hag had cast a spell on him, making him as dry as her land. His body grew hard and cracked, like dirt in the desert. He could no longer speak, nor hear, nor even move. No one could tell if the king could even still think, or if his brain and his heart had dried up like his skin had. But he was still alive. The ghostly breath passing through his chapped lips was evidence of that. But not for long. The king was crumbling into pieces. On his hands, his fingers have been falling off one by one. Last Wednesday he had lost his entire left hand. And if he hadn't been laying down, Sunggyu was sure that he would've already lost his feet.

His mother had abandoned her duties as a queen and assumed those of a wife instead, attending to her husband's bedside, savoring each moment with him like it might be the last. Sunggyu had then assumed both roles, of king and queen, in their absence. And he was doing quiet well, until the former queen started to act like a mother again. "You need a queen, or a king. I don't care! Sunggyu, you need someone in these hard times. You can't do this alone!" she insisted. But he had been doing things alone and he had been just fine. He only started to have trouble when his mother didn't heed his objections and began having herald's announce the prince's availability and 'desire' to marry, man or woman. And so the legacy hunters began to roll in. He was fine with the princesses and other forms of royal women, from all nations. They could deal with a simple rejection. The men, on the other hand, could not. They seemed to relish in the thrill of the chase. Problem was that Sunggyu wasn't running away; to him, there was no race. He just sat there and watched his suitors run around trying to flatter him. He used to find it amusing. But now he was annoyed beyond all belief.

But the worst part was how jaded Sunggyu had become. He was getting a little too good at spotting false, honeyed words. For example, Sunggyu (although always thought of himself as a good looking) knew that he wasn't handsome, or at least as handsome as everyone made him out to be now (or pretty. He hated being called that. He was a man). The same maids who used to whisper about his small eyes and large front teeth were now worshiping his straight nose and hands. The hands, he didn't get. They were just hands. It was like they couldn't compliment him on anything else, found nothing else about him as pretty or perfect. And now the entire kingdom had some fetish with his hands. And so now he protected them and covered them, as if exposing them was equivalent to being shirtless, which only seemed to add full to the fetish fire because now a glimpse of his bare hands was now 'rare' and 'precious.'

He started to become so jaded, Sunggyu started to lose faith and trust in people. He never believed what they said or did, which led to him not believing in other things: he no longer believed himself to be handsome, he no longer thought himself as a sweet and kind hearted prince, and he no longer believed in love.

There were only two people he trusted: Hoya and his mother. He would've added his father to the list, but Sunggyu had already accepted him as dead.

 _Speaking of which_ , Sunggyu winced in thought as he rolled off of his bed. It was time for his daily visit to the old-just-barely-a-man. He hated these visits more than he hated the suitors. The suitors, he became all too familiar with. He could tell when they were lying, he could tell what they were about to do next. But his father, he didn't know at all anymore. He was a stranger with a face of someone resembling a man he used to know. Sometimes Sunggyu wished that the king would crumble into a pile of dust and put them all out of their misery.

Sunggyu walked into his father's chambers. "Good afternoon, father, mother."

"Oh, Sunggyu, you're finally here! We've been waiting," his mother cheerfully greeted him. Sunggyu held back his condescending laughter. There was no way that pile of dust had been waiting for him. But his mother was clinging strongly to whom that pile had once been as tightly as she was holding onto his caked, dried hand. It was like she was trying to hold onto a ghost.

Sunggyu sighed and tapped her hand that was holding onto his father's. "He's going to lose his only good hand if you keep doing that, mother," he warned.

She let go with a sheepish grin. "Is that so?" Then she got up. "I'll just leave you two alone then. You know, to discuss things. Our baby is doing such a good job, darling. Everyone loves him," she told her husband. Then she turned to her child. "Now if he could only find someone he loved."

"Mother," Sunggyu warned in a low tone. But she chased away his growing resentment with a quick peck on his cheek.

"I just want someone to look after you during these hard times," she responded softly before leaving the room.

"I can take care of myself," Sunggyu mumbled to himself. "I am the king." His eyes fell onto his father, laying still like a sandstone. "Well, sort of, in your absence, father," he amended. Then he puffed his cheeks as his eyes drifted over to the grandfather clock on the other side of the room. It would be just an hour before his mother returns from eating, and that was the only reason he visited his father anymore, because if he didn't attend to his father once a day, his mother wouldn't eat. _He needs family_ , he recalled his mother's reason for not letting the staff to attend to him. _He needs love, not just care_.

Sunggyu felt a pang of guilt as he looked upon the petrified man in front of him. Sunggyu had stopped loving him a while ago.

* * *

"Nope not interested. But thank you," Sunggyu was once again, sitting on his throne, dealing with suitor after suitor, and now this middle-aged woman just asked for his hand, which was new. He hadn't received a proposal from a woman yet, and certainly not as soon as she first stepped into the room (but judging by her appearance, Sunggyu wasn't her type). Although he rejected her, he admired her boldness. _She might make a good knight. I'll have to tell Hoya to follow up on her later_.

The older woman turned back on her heels and left the room with honor...or so he thought. "Um, your highness."

"I told you. I'm not interested in marrying you."

A deep chuckle filled the room. "Good, because I'm not interested either." Sunggyu looked up and saw a man of small stature dressed in armor shining as if it were brand new. Sunggyu grew hot with embarrassment, having mistaken his deep voice for that woman's. The man then clicked his heels together with a sharp, metallic clang, and saluted with one hand and the other clutched onto his helmet. "Sir Nam Woohyun, reporting for duty."

"And what duty is that?" Sunggyu asked, raising an eyebrow. _Well this is an interesting tactic. No one's tried this yet_.

Woohyun stepped closer to the throne and leaned in. "You know that you have more business than entertaining suitors all day, right?" he retorted with a gleeful smirk. Sunggyu was speechless. Yes, he was used to having Hoya say things like this to him, but he had grown up with the guard. But this knight was a stranger and already acting with such familiarity. "I'm here for the envoy to the Wastelands."

"Oh!" Sunggyu exclaimed, snapping back into his professional airs, glad to finally act like a king again. But the confusion wrapped around this knight still lingered. "But you don't meet here. You meet at the West Gate. And about an hour ago." Hoya himself had led it. He said it would be good training for the new recruits because it was a simple reconnaissance mission. _This must be one of them._

Woohyun rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and hung his head. "I'm a bit directionally challenged. I passed this room three times on my way to the gate. My third time I thought, 'Hey! Who's better to ask than the king?' Right? So...here I am," he explained with that grin still on his face. _Why is he still grinning?_

"Here you are," Sunggyu replied. _This bumbling idiot, I might as well tell Hoya to let go of him now. He's useless_. _That woman before could probably beat him to a pulp_. Sunggyu sighed, "Well, you're too late now. Captain Lee is very prompt. He does lead an army after all."

The grin finally fell from the other's face. "Oh shit! I'm not going to lose my job, am I?" Sunggyu shrugged in response. Woohyun began panicking. "My father is going to be so mad," he grumbled pacing the room. He dropped his helmet onto the floor, making Sunggyu jump up at the sudden sound. His hands now gripping on the side of his head. "He's going to kill me. Hang me! Have me stoned to death! Drown me in a river!"

Sunggyu, being adept at finding lies (okay so those lies were obvious), smirked. "You're father will be fine with it. If you want pity and second chances, you'll find none here. I can't let an idiot who can't tell right from left to wield a sword in my name."

Woohyun stopped dead in his tracks. "Well, he's not going to be pleased," he responded with a snort. He picked his helmet off from the ground and dusted it. "Especially after he paid so much for this armor." He then looked back to the prince and flashed his silly grin again. "But you can't blame me for trying, like you can't blame all of these suitors for trying either."

"I guess not," Sunggyu agreed. "You can go home now, if you know where that is," he teased.

"I think I can manage," he retorted as he walked out the door, but before he closed it, he turned back to the prince. "But just to make sure..."

"It's that way."

* * *

 "Hm, that could work," Sunggyu thought out loud as he flipped through the pages of an old book with yellowed pages. It was his great-grandfather's edition of the Odyssey. Notes in his elegant script littered the margins, and now Sunggyu was taking some notes himself. Penelope had dodged her own suitors by saying that she would marry once her father's funeral shroud was completed. She would weave all day, and then unravel the shroud at night. But Sunggyu couldn't and didn't want to weave. Besides the plan didn't work out well for Penelope either. The only reason she had gotten rid of the suitors was because her husband had returned from war and shipwreck and killed them all. "Maybe Hoya could..."

"Maybe Hoya could what?" his guard repeated.

Sunggyu put the book down and let that subject drop. "You're back from the envoy. How was it?"

Hoya tilted his head back and forth and jutted out his chin in thought. "Good, even though we were a man down," he answered honestly.

"Ah yes, Sir Nam Woohyun," Sunggyu recalled the strange man from days before. "What did you end up doing with him?"

"Well, the thing is...I can't get rid of him," Hoya sputtered out, not being able to look the prince in the eye.

"Why not? He's useless," Sunggyu argued.

"For one, he's an idiot, but he's not useless. The kid can fight like a beast, and he's fast," Hoya explained. "If I trained him to not be a moron, he could be a great knight."

"Okay," Sunggyu trusted his captain's instincts. It hadn't led him in the wrong direction yet. "And what's the other reason."

"Huh?"

Sunggyu narrowed his eyes on Hoya. He could sense, no he knew that the other was hiding something. "You said 'for one,' so I could only assume that you have more reasons. What aren't you telling me, Hoya?"

Hoya leaned on the doorway and sighed in defeat. "He's a prince like you are, but like 16th in line or something. Anyways he has a lot of brothers and those brothers have a lot of kids, but a prince is still a prince," he rolled his eyes at his own comment. "And his father left him in our trust, as a sign of good faith between our two kingdoms. Your father had made the deal before...the incident."

"Hoya, what kingdom is he from?" Sunggyu asked but Hoya pretended not to listen, all of the sudden admiring the stonework of Sunggyu's chambers. "Captain, what kingdom?" he snapped in a grave tone.

"The Crimson Isles."

"F***ing shit!" Sunggyu cursed throwing his great-grandfather's book across the room.

"F***ing shit is right," Hoya agreed.

The Crimson Isles were named after the extraordinarily amounts of red clay in its soil making the land and the sea around it red. But others say that the sea is painted with the blood of their enemies, which tells you a lot about their people, a quick tempered lot with a fighting prowess to back up their anger. They were a violent bunch, which made them notoriously hard to negotiate with. Their strength laid in their arms and not their words, so if they didn't get what they wanted or didn't understand the terms (which happened often), you were dead. But you couldn't ignore them either because their isles lied in between Sunggyu's kingdom and the kingdoms on the other side of the ocean. It was a strategic alliance, an important one. And Sunggyu's father had been a savant when it came to dealing with those ruthless people. Their relationship with the Isles is better than it's ever been. Or at least it was. This Nam Woohyun might sour it.

But yet, that kid did not seem to fit in with the Crimsonite type. He was small, slim, and...happy, very very happy. He looked more apt to paint pottery than to be a fierce warrior. And Sunggyu had seen Woohyun's older brothers. They were more terrifying than Hoya. They were tall like mountains, and one of them had their teeth filed into points (Sunggyu didn't want to find out what they were used for). And  yet some things made sense: how he was good at fighting, how he was a little dumb, and why he talked like he was at the same level as Sunggyu (because he was, technically).

Maybe Woohyun wasn't joking about what his father would do to him. _But he was lying_. Either way, Sunggyu didn't want to find out or worsen the relationship between both kingdoms. _What am I going to do with him?_

"Ho-hyung!" a shout came from the hallway.

Hoya groaned. "And did I tell you that he has taken a liking to me?"

"What? Why?" Sunggyu asked with an amused laugh.

"He says that I remind him of his brothers," Hoya answered quickly bracing himself for the onslaught that was about to come.

"Ho-hyung! There you are!" Woohyun exclaimed as he caught sight of the guard. He walked into the room and also saw Sunggyu sitting in the chair looking at him inquisitively. "Uh, I mean, Captain, at your service," he saluted to the other. Then he turned to bow to the other. "And your highness."

Hoya turned towards the young knight with an annoyed expression. "You know that you're in his majesty's private quarters without an invitation."

"But I have an important message," he said with a pout. Hoya then rolled his eyes at the young knight, and a long sigh passed through his lips. "Wah! That's how my brother always looks at me. It's uncanny, really!"

"Just give me the message," Hoya groaned sending an apologizing glance to Sunggyu, but the prince didn't mind. He was happy to see someone else besides himself frustrate the captain.

"I completed the task you gave me," Woohyun answered proudly.

Hoya shook his  head a couple of times and looked at him in disbelief, his eyes slightly bulging out of his skull. "You fought against all the senior knights already?!"

"Well, not all," Woohyun answered back sheepishly, kicking his foot against the stone floor. "Some of them surrendered before I even entered the combat ring." Hoya puffed out his cheeks in frustration and rubbed his temples. He had given Woohyun that task, hoping to at least get the younger off his back for a week, but it only had been a few hours. And now He'd have to teach the senior knights who quickly surrendered a lesson in honor. "Oh! Now you look like my sister!" Hoya began to raise his fist against Woohyun, but suddenly the knight was on the other side of the room next to Sunggyu, raising his hands in defeat. "Whoa! Now you're really like Noona! Have you met her before?"

Sunggyu couldn't hold it back anymore and began laughing. The two soldiers looked at him in confusion, which made him laugh even harder. _This kid, how is he even a prince? He has no manners, but then again, he is a Crimsonite_. But this brash, rude young man was exactly what the prince needed right now. "Captain," Sunggyu squeaked out as he laughed. "I think that I have the perfect task for him. You can leave us now." And the captain was more than happy to do so; he bowed and quickly left the room. Sunggyu then faced Woohyun and gestured him to sit down across from him. Woohyun did so with apprehension painted all over his face. His chain mail underneath his robes made an unpleasant scratching noise as he sat down. "Why didn't you tell me you were a prince from the Crimson Isles?"

Woohyun raised an eyebrow. "You mean you didn't recognize my name when I introduced myself? I knew yours, Prince Kim Sunggyu of the Crystal Shores," he spoke condescendingly. "Your studies must've been lacking."

Sunggyu scoffed. "There are like 150 princes on those damn islands."

"Look, it's really not that hard. There's me, Boohyun, Kyuhyun, Soohyun, Sunghyun, Hyemi, my oldest sister, Hyeri-"

"Okay, okay," Sunggyu admitted defeat. _No wonder why he can't remember simple directions. His mind is too full with the name of his damn siblings_. He had only memorized the name of those closest in succession to the throne, the only ones he'd probably be dealing with. But his lazy study method seemed to backfire in this situation. "So," Sunggyu began to shift the conversation. "You're in my care now, as an agreement between our fathers."

"Yup," Woohyun replied happily. "As you can imagine, there's not much opportunity for me back in the Isles. And I'm a bit of a black sheep over there. So my father thought that there was more opportunity for me to be distinguished here, and by the looks of your dismal army, he was right. And I was the runt back home!"

"You're still a runt here too," Sunggyu retorted looking the man up and down. Woohyun shifted in his spot, becoming aware of his still small size. "But I think that I could use your _talents_ elsewhere." 

"Hm? Where?"

Sunggyu leaned forward and spoke in a low but mischievous voice, "How would you like helping me deal with the suitors?"

Woohyun's eyes darted around as he pointed to himself. "ME?!" he asked in shock.

Sunggyu nodded, stood up, and picked the book off the floor. He walked over and plopped it in Woohyun's lap. "Read this for ideas on how to deal with them, especially book 22," Sunggyu ordered and then walked out of his chambers, leaving the knight dumbfounded. Sunggyu chuckled to himself as he walked down the palace halls with a spring in his step. With any luck, all of his suitors would be dead or at least badly injured by the next day. Maybe having a Crimsonite under his roof wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

 But Sunggyu was wrong. He apparently didn't know the nature of Crimsonites like he thought he did, that or Nam Woohyun was just an enigma. The next morning, Woohyun barged into his chambers as Sunggyu was having breakfast, with two large codices in his hands. He dropped them onto Sunggyu's breakfast table his a thud, his hot tea splash onto the back of his hand. Thankfully he was wearing his gloves or else he would have been badly burned. "Aish! Watch it!" Sunggyu growled.

"Sorry, Gyu," Woohyun said as he sat across from the prince and started to eat _his_ breakfast. But that's not what ticked off the royal.

"What did you just call me?"

"Gyu," Woohyun repeated as he chewed on a sweet roll. He looked up at noticed Sunggyu's annoyed face. "Does it really matter? We're both princes. I am not calling you, _your highness_."

"Yes it does matter," Sunggyu insisted, tearing the rest of the roll from Woohyun's hands and stuffing it in his mouth. "You're under _my_ care," now he was the one speaking as he chewed loudly. "You're under me!" Woohyun giggled pervertedly at that. Sunggyu rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Okay, then, Sunggyu," he proposed. Sunggyu just narrowed his eyes as he drank from his cup. "Sunggyu...hyung?"

"Hyung-nim."

"Fine, _hyung-nim_ ," Woohyun spoke as if the name left a bad taste in his mouth. "Anyway, I compiled a lists of suitors that I think will be good for you," he explained as he tapped on the top book. "And I told my father about my new position and he was excited. A member of his family having a hand in planning the future of one of the biggest kingdoms." He whistled and pulled out the book from underneath the other. "He even came up with his own suggestions. Eh, they're mostly members of my family, like all of my single sisters. Hyekyung has the most teeth, so she's a good catch." He said proudly as he opened up the page to his said sister. Sunggyu tried hard to keep the contents of his breakfast in his stomach. Woohyun laughed at Sunggyu's reaction, as if he almost expected it, and closed the book with a slam. He picked up the other book and opened it up to a random page, revealing a sweetly smiling woman who had all of her teeth. "I also made one of my own."

"Oh thank goodness!" Sunggyu exclaimed in relief as he reached for Woohyun's list and shoved his father's list off of the table. The prince began to flip through the list, seeing some familiar faces but also a few new ones in the mix, but they were all attractive. Sunggyu looked up at the other curiously as he continued to flip through. "Do you really think you'd be better at this than you're father?"

Woohyun was drinking from his teacup. He swallowed and answered, "I'm good at reading people. I think that you know who'd you like." He ended with a wink.

Sunggyu scoffed. "Aren't Crimsonites just fighters and not lovers?"

The teacup was put down onto the table roughly. Sunggyu had apparently touched the nerve, and although Woohyun's face was still smiling, the corner of his mouth was twitching. "You obviously don't know us well. We're just a bunch of barbarians to you because we're not as smart, and we have short tempers. But don't believe all the stories, _hyung-nim._ We love as fiercely as we fight. How else do you think my father has so many children?" He ended with a joke to lighten the mood.

Sunggyu looked down at his lap, pretending to adjust the napkin in his lap but he was shielding his embarrassed expression. "I'm sorry to have offended you, Woohyun," he apologized. He then lifted up his head after regaining composure. "I've misjudged you." _And I'm sorry for assuming that you'd kill all of the suitors_. "You do seem to know what you're doing," he complimented the other, and it wasn't just flattery. Sure having an attractive mate was important, but Woohyun also complied a list of pros and cons and their assets. The fellow prince knew what was important for a royal match.

"I told you," Woohyun smiled proudly as he peered over onto the pages of the book. "See any you like?" 

"Um, this one isn't bad," Sunggyu said in a shy voice, pointing to the page that he'd been staring at for awhile.

Woohyun choked on the roll he was eating. "Really? Prince Myungsoo from the Greenlands?"

"Why not?" Sunggyu pressured the other, feeling offended at his reaction. "His kingdom grows the best produce of all the kingdoms. They already export often from our ports. It would be a good alliance," he explained rationally. "Besides, he's handsome, so our kids will be too," he said a little more quietly.

Woohyun laughed so hard that he fell out of his chair. "Hyung-nim," he cried from the floor. He crawled back onto his seat, wiping tears from his smiling eyes. "I don't know if you remember your biology lessons, but that's not how reproduction works."

"We'll use magic then," Sunggyu plainly suggested. It wasn't unheard of for couples to use magic in that way, especially for royal families.

Woohyun scoffed, "Because magic works so well for your father." Sunggyu looked up at him with a threatening glance, clutching a butter knife in his hands. Woohyun raised his hands in defeat. "Sorry. It's just that my family prefers to do things the old fashioned way," he explained. "Magic free. We're not like Greenies who use magic a little too freely." He pointed an accusing finger at Myungsoo's photo.

Sunggyu folded his hands in front of his mouth. "What's that supposed to mean?" he challenged.

"These people are notorious for cosmetic magic," the other prince answered. "That's probably not even his natural face. It's too perfect." He made a face that almost looked like a snarl at the photo in front of him. Then he looked up at Sunggyu and smiled handsomely. "Not like me. I'm a natural beauty." He framed his chin with his hands.

"You think that you're handsome?" Sunggyu sputtered with a laugh. The prince had to admit, the Crimsonite had some...interesting quality to him, but he was putting himself above the level of the statuesque Kim Myungsoo in terms of looks. It was like comparing a mutt to a show quality dog.

The other frowned. "Maybe not at first sight," he admitted. "I get more handsome the more you look at me."

"And what happens if they stop looking?"

Woohyun's mouth hung open for a few moments as he searched for an answer. Sunggyu also thought that the other would admit defeat and was about to suggest another match, but Woohyun finally found words, "I'll make them look! Like this!" he announced as he started to make bunny ears with his fingers and swayed back and forth in his chair, making squeaky, whining noises. "Like this!"

Sunggyu just watched the other, completely astonished. "How the Hell are you even a Crimsonite?"

"Oh! You sound just like Boohyun-hyung!"

* * *

 "What were you thinking?" Sunggyu asked as he looked upon his wheezing father. "What were you thinking, taking Woohyun into our home?" His pulled his hand away from where it was resting, over his father's hand, and placed it on his knee, unconsciously rubbing the dust on his pants. "He's nothing but trouble," Sunggyu mumbled as he recalled the events from earlier today. Woohyun was better than Hoya at chasing the suitors away, sometimes stopping them before they even stepped through the door. Sunggyu may have been free of the suitors, but he couldn't rid himself of the Crimsonite prince, who kept following around asking pestering questions: 'What do you like, hyung-nim? Long hair, short hair? Man or Woman? Tall or short? Fat or skinny? Come on, hyung-nim, why won't you answer me? Why? Why? Why? Why?' This had been the first time all day he was alone (well, sort of); the guards had stopped Woohyun from following him inside his father's chambers. 'Okay, I'll just wait out here then.'

"You've had to have met him, had to have seen him before you agreed to the arrangement, right?" Sunggyu lamented to his father, who was just stiffly staring at the ceiling. "You're not that foolish to allow anyone in our halls. It took you weeks before you trusted Hoya," Sunggyu groaned, hanging his head. "I just don't understand...and why am I even talking to you? It's not like you'll give me an answer." He raised his gaze to look into his father's empty eyes. "But I really wish you would. I really wish that-"

"Oh sorry, honey. We'll just wait outside until you're done," he heard his mother say. _Wait 'we'll'?_   Sunggyu looked up and much to his horror (but not surprise) Woohyun was standing next to his mother, and his arm was linked with hers.

Sunggyu immediately stood up. "Uh, no I was just finishing up."

"Are you sure, honey?" the queen objected. "Because Woohyunnie and I could just come back later." _Huh? Woohyunnie_.

"Your majesty, I'll leave you three alone for some quality family time," Woohyun said, finally gaining some sort of sense. He let go of the queen's arm gently. "It's probably been a while since you three had some free time together. I'll take my leave," he stated as he walked out the door, but before he left he called out to Sunggyu, "Hyung-nim, we'll discuss later."

Sunggyu scoffed. When did he become so professional? When did he get manners? As he was contemplating this, a hand rested on his shoulder. "It's been a while since I've seen you talk with your father," his mother declared with a sad smile.

Sunggyu took her hand and led her into the chair by his father's beside. "Uh, we had some matters to discuss," he passed over. "But, mother, do you know him?"

"Woohyun?" she asked as she sat down. Sunggyu nodded. She took up her husband's hand in hers and smiled softly. "We've known him for years. Whenever your father and I went to the Crimson Isles, we'd joke and say that Woohyun was our substitute for you. He used to follow your father around like you used to. It was cute. And he's a really sweet boy." She ended gazing upon her son's confused face.

"How come I've never heard of him before?"

A soft chuckle filled the still air. "Honey, you know how jealous you used to get. We can joke about Woohyun replacing you now, but back then it would've had you in tears."

Even now Sunggyu had to fight down the bile swirling in his gut. He may have grown older, but he never grew out of his jealousy issue. He just got better at hiding it. "I wasn't that bad," he grumbled.

"You were," his mother gently chided, twining her free hand around her son's. "Anyway, on our last visit there, his father had expressed some worry about Woohyun, whether he'd find his place in the Isles or would he have to go elsewhere." Sunggyu laughed in his mind at that statement. Woohyun's father was a bear of a man, who tied bones in his beard. It was hard to imagine him casually speaking with his parents about the worries of parenthood. His mother's voice called his attention back. "Your father offered him a place here, a high advising position, but Woohyun insisted on working his way up the chain of command by his own merit. We made the agreement to look after Woohyun and came back home. Then your father fell ill, and a few days later Woohyunnie came. We were so wrapped up with our own problems that we forgot all about Woohyunnie. Isn't that horrible? He said it took him two days to find the palace."

Sunggyu winced. The palace was in the dead center of the city, and the ports were only a mile or two away. _He really is directionally challenged_. "Well, he seems to be okay now," he tried to soothe his mother.

She nodded. "He told me all about the new position that you gave him. I'm glad that you're finally taking the matter seriously." Sunggyu swallowed hard, shoving the guilt back down. He didn't want to admit to his mother that he only hired the Crimsonite in hopes that he would slaughter every last one of the suitors. "It's good," she continued. "You need someone during these hard times."

She was starting to sound like a broken record.

* * *

 "What does she mean by that? I can take care of myself," Sunggyu grumbled as he walked back down the hall, to the throne room to deal with more business (doing actual business this time, meeting with the leading merchants).

"Then I guess you don't need me then," Hoya suddenly appeared at his side.

Sunggyu hit him in the shoulder. "Stop doing that. You scared me."

"You scare easily, huh?" Woohyun appeared on his other side.

Sunggyu jumped up at yelled at the newcomer. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Woohyun shrugged like it was obvious. "One of the merchants may be a good match for you." Sunggyu saw Hoya nod in agreement out of the corner of his eye. The prince groaned. Woohyun was supposed to divert the suitors and not become a friggin' matchmaker.

The prince stopped in the middle of his tracks, and the other two followed suite. "Captain, go ahead and secure the room as I discuss matter with my...advisor," Sunggyu called him for lack of a better term. Hoya accepted his orders and went on ahead. Sunggyu then turned to Woohyun who was smiling brightly at his new title (he was moving up the ladder quite quickly). "You stay here," Sunggyu ordered, pointing a finger into the other's chest. "I forbid you from attending the meeting."

Woohyun rolled his eyes. "Then how can I do my job?"

"You don't," Sunggyu snapped back, and he started to make his way down the hall. But he was halted by a hand grabbing the back of his collar. "What the-"

"Sorry, _hyung-nim_ ," Woohyun spoke darkly. "But I'm coming with you." Sunggyu was about to object, but Woohyun cut him off. "You seem to misunderstand me a lot. I'm not doing this just for you. Your life is not the only one affected by this marriage."

"You don't think I know that," Sunggyu argued. "This decision will affect the entire kingdom. I'm well aware of that. That's why I'm-"

"I'm talking about your mother, the queen."

"Huh?"

"You really don't get why she's so desperate for you to get married, do you?" Woohyun challenged, raising an eyebrow, putting his hands into his pockets. Sunggyu opened his mouth, but couldn't find the words to speak. "I thought so...You need someone during these hard times," the Crimsonite repeated his mother's words. _She must have complained to him about me_. "Yes, she means now, but she also means these kinds of hard times." Sunggyu looked at him blankly. "Your father. She wants to know that if you ever end up in a situation like your father, you have someone to take care of you like she does for him. She wants to see you set up before something terrible happens to her...Her health isn't good, hyung-nim."

Sunggyu chewed on his lower lip. He was well aware of the queen's declining health. Her face was becoming sunken and gray. He has had nightmares of his mother becoming a dried up corpse like his father. "Did she tell you all of that?" he asked.

Woohyun shook his head. "She didn't have to. Like I said before, I understand people." The both of them stood there silently for a few moments. 

"They're ready for you, your highness," Hoya called from the end of the hall.

"I'm coming," Sunggyu announced and began to walk down the hall. He then glanced behind him and saw Woohyun still standing still. "Why are you just standing there? Come on," he beckoned to the other.

Woohyun smiled again with that stupid grin. "Coming hyung-nim!"

* * *

 The meeting had quickly turned from discussing economic matters to the merchants parading their eligible daughters. One of them even managed to crawl under the table and onto Sunggyu's lap. Woohyun had quickly whisked her away and escorted her out of the room, but the violated feeling still remained. _I'm a person, not an object that you can play with_. He whined as he sunk in deeper into his bath, inhaling the scents of herbs that were supposed to soothe and calm him down (they weren't working). _All I wanted to do was have a normal business meeting._

"Hyung-nim!" a shout came from outside of his bath. _Oh no! Maybe I could just drown myself right now_ , the prince thought sinking further and further into the bath until his head was submerged. But a rough hand pulled him out of the water. "Hyung-nim, you're going to drown if you do that." _That was the point_.

"Why are you here? I'm busy, if you hadn't noticed" Sunggyu asked flicking water into the other's face. He laughed when Woohyun winced and wiped the water from his face along with his usual smile.

"I contacted Prince Myungsoo, you know, the only you were drooling over," he teased. Sunggyu now splashed water in his direction.

"Was not!" he insisted. "I just thought he might be a good partner. That's it."

Woohyun reached over for the nearest thing to wipe his face, which happened to be Sunggyu's robes. Sunggyu just clicked his tongue, already used to the Crimsonite's careless behavior. After he was finished drying off, Woohyun threw the robe into the corner of the room. He let out a great, frustrated sigh. "Is that all you're looking for? A good business partner?"

"Maybe a friend too," Sunggyu added as he watched his finger make small whirlpools in his bathwater.

" _Maybe_ a friend," Woohyun mocked. "And you said that my people were ignorant in love."

"What do you know?" Sunggyu challenged as he sunk lower, submerging his lips under the water.

"My parents," Woohyun answered as he sat on the edge of the large tub.

Sunggyu snorted, making bubbles emerge and water splash everywhere. He lifted himself out of the water. "But your father has about 20 wives!" he exclaimed.

Woohyun smiled warmly and dipped his hand into the bath water, watching the ripples. "Yea, but he loves my mother. She's the only one he didn't behead when he divorced her." Sunggyu shivered at how casually Woohyun had said that. It was a running joke throughout the rest of the kingdoms that in the Crimson Isles, you divorce by beheading the other. It's one thing to joke about it, and another to treat it lightly. "And he allowed her to still live in the palace. And she continued to raise me, which might be the reason why I ended up different the rest of my siblings. Their mothers died when they were young, but mine's still alive." It was like it was some sort of triumph, but it made Sunggyu's stomach to grow heavy.

"But he's no longer married to her," Sunggyu argued.

Woohyun smirked and flicked water in Sunggyu's direction. The droplets hit his shoulder, narrowly missing his face. Sunggyu pouted, causing Woohyun to giggle in victory. "That's only because she can no longer give birth, and my father needs more heirs because, well, heirs don't last long in my kingdom. But he kept her around. That's love."

Sunggyu looked amused. "Because he didn't behead her?" he asked.

"Those women deserved to be beheaded, trust me. We just don't air out our dirty laundry like some other countries," Woohyun slapped Sunggyu with his words. Sunggyu narrowed his eyes on the other. Yes, all the kingdoms knew about his father's condition, but he couldn't help it that the Crystal Shores was the largest trading post. Nothing remained a secret there for long. "No, love is when you hold onto someone even though the other had already given everything that they could to you."

Sunggyu sunk down into the water and allowed Woohyun's words to sink into his mind. All he could think of was his mother holding onto the living corpse that was his father. She did love him, but Sunggyu didn't think it was a healthy kind of love. Would someone want to do that for him? Would he do that for someone else? Could he? Sunggyu doubted it. He was selfish. He didn't know if he'd ever find someone he loved more than himself.

He then suddenly felt a prodding on his right hand, which was gripping the edge of the bath tub tightly. Sunggyu looked over curiously. Woohyun was poking at his hand as if it was something extraordinary. "You know, this is first time I've seen your hand without a glove on," Woohyun announced picking at Sunggyu's fingers. The prince immediately plunged them into the water. Woohyun shrugged. "I don't get what all the fuss is about. They're just hands. They're not even big or have any cool looking scars," he said as he stared at the ripples in the water blurring the hands. "Now my big brother has huge hands, and he was bit by a dragon. A dragon, hyung-nim! Now those are hands worth praising."

"I agree," Sunggyu replied sinking into the bathwater, starting to feel relaxed even with the other's overwhelming presence there.

"You know what they say about big hands, hyung-nim," Woohyun teased as he peered into the bathwater, searching.

Sunggyu splashed water into the other's face. "Big gloves," he finished.

"Eung."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously thought that this would be 1000 words or less...but then it seriously got out of hand.
> 
> So I'm breaking it up into parts. The next part should be up soon. I hope that you enjoyed it!


	2. There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of this madness.
> 
> Still love ya, readers!

Sunggyu felt a great weight on his shoulders. It felt as if the gravity there became more forceful and heavy, with the sole intention of pulling him down. He also couldn't sleep either, as much as he tried, which was awful. He really liked his sleep. His breath also became labored and difficult as his cheek was pressed into the pillow. He groaned in frustration, knowing exactly what his problem was, knowing exactly what this burden was.

"Why do you do this every morning?" Sunggyu whined as he tried to buck the weight off of his back, but he couldn't. Woohyun still remained sitting on his back.

"Because you don't wake up otherwise," the Crimsonite reprimanded, now getting off of Sunggyu and pulling the prince up by his arms into a sitting position. "We have a lot to do today, hyung-nim." But right as he let go of Sunggyu's arms, the elder flopped back down onto the bed. He closed his eyes tightly, wishing that the other would just disappear. 

This had quickly become their daily routine ever since Woohyun had contacted Myungsoo. The Crimsonite would wake him up, mostly by crushing the prince with his own weight. Woohyun would then pester Sunggyu with questions all day, insisting on planning out every last detail of Myungsoo's stay, even to the doilies that would rest underneath the vases in his room (before then, Sunggyu didn't even know what a doily was, or even care. He still doesn't care by the way). 'This is all about your image, hyung-nim. What you want to project to that Greenie,' to which Sunggyu responded that it was Woohyun's job to deal with these matters and petty details, so the Crimsonite could do 'whatever the f**k [he] wanted' because (believe it or not) he had actual kingly business to attend to. But that didn't seem to stop Woohyun. He still asked his questions. He still followed Sunggyu around (which was sometimes useful whenever a random suitor would show up and the other could chase it away). And Sunggyu still wished that the Crimsonite would leave him alone.

"CAPTAIN!" Sunggyu shouted, and Hoya burst into the room soon afterwards with a panicked look on his face. But after surveying the scene and only seeing the two princes in the room, panic was soon replaced with aggravation. For him too, this became a routine. "I told you never to let him in!" he whined, pointing behind him to Woohyun.

Hoya crossed his arms. "He said that you gave him permission this time," he stated.

Sunggyu screwed his eyes shut. Woohyun said that everyday, and everyday Hoya fell for it (or let the Crimsonite in because he found it amusing). The prince let out a great yawn. "Fine," he managed to get out as his yawn ripped through his face. "I hereby declare that Sir Nam Woohyun of the Crimson Isles is forbidden to enter my chambers. Whoever violates it, will be put to death. Write it down. Make it a law," he lazily declared as he laid his head back down on his fluffy pillow.

The prince felt the bed shift as Woohyun stood up. "But who else is going to remind you that Prince Myungsoo is coming today?" he challenged.

Sunggyu got up with a start. "WHAT?!"

"And he's arriving at the docks in about an hour."

The prince ripped off his covers and jumped down from the bed. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" he chided, completely agitated. "Captain, ready the retinue," he ordered in a rush, and Hoya left the bedchamber. Sunggyu then shoved Woohyun  aside as he made his way to his armoire. 

Woohyun followed him and helped Sunggyu to pull off his shirt, which was getting caught on his chin as he tried to quickly take it off. "I tried to, hyung-nim, but..."

"Okay. Okay!" Sunggyu cut him off as he threw his bed shirt into the corner of the room. "I can dress myself," he muttered, and Woohyun backed away. As Sunggyu's hands drifted down to undo the lacing of his pants (which was really difficult because he had a hard time grasping the laces with his gloved hands), he turned back to the Crimsonite. "Turn around and don't look."

To his surprise the other easily obeyed and drifted off onto the other side of the room, exploring the prince's toiletries. "Wear the outfit on the right," Woohyun said in a distracted voice. Sunggyu could hear the clanging of the glass potion bottles as Woohyun was picking them up and setting them down. "I picked it out especially for today. We want Myungsoo-ssi to think you look handsome. First impressions are important."

Sunggyu nodded lazily as he grabbed the outfit on the right. He didn't even bother to look at it because he was in such a rush, but as he put it on, he started to regret giving Woohyun so much free reign over the matter. The pants were too tight, latching onto his legs like a second layer of skin, and the collar was too high and constricting around his neck, brushing harshly against his jaw. But it was too late to complain or change anything. There was too little time. After dressing Sunggyu turned around and gestured to Woohyun to make sure everything was in order.

Woohyun was busy rubbing his hands with the contents of a bottle he just found as he walked over and evaluated the prince. "Oh! Very handsome," Woohyun praised with a cheerful smile, but Sunggyu knew that it was just to lift up his rapidly falling confidence. Sunggyu was just to brush past him again to deal with the mess that was his hair, but Woohyun stopped him by thrusting his wrist under the prince's nose. "Now we smell alike, hyung-nim," he announced happily. The familiar scent of Sunggyu's favorite lotion wafted into the air.

The corners of the prince's frown twitched slightly, and he pulled the Crimsonite's wrist from his face. He looked down. "Yah! I can see it in your pocket! Don't steal it. Hand it over. Give it to me," Sunggyu demanded holding out his hand, fingers already grasping for the bottle. Woohyun smiled sheepishly, having been caught, and gave the stolen vial back to the prince. "I could have your hand for this," Sunggyu said and took back the vial.

Woohyun scoffed. "What would you do with it? Put a glove on it," he came back with a weak retort.

"Just shut up and let me get ready."

* * *

 "Prince Myungsoo, welcome to the Crystal Shores," Sunggyu greeted the handsome Greenlands prince as he stepped onto the dock. He took the other's hand and shook it warmly. "Please excuse the gloves," he apologized with a sheepish smile.

"I understand. You must protect those precious hands," Myungsoo replied coyly as let go of the prince's hand, retreating it back into his pocket. Sunggyu smiled and cocked his head. He didn't know what to make of that comment. He was proud of his recent lie-detecting abilities, but they failed them here. Was the man being serious or sarcastic?

Sunggyu shoved those concerns aside. He had plenty of time to figure out this prince later because, although it was under the guise of a formal embassary, neither of the two princes could deny the truth: they were courting each other. Myungsoo was going to stay in the palace for a month, at the end of which the two of them would decide whether they would want to make the 'alliance' official or not. It was more of a trial run than anything. "Please follow me to the palace," Sunggyu gestured to the other as he began to make his way back to the palace.

The beginning of the long walk back to the palace was awkward and silent. Sunggyu was so used to others trying to pursue him that he forgot what it was like to flirt, or even hold a normal, casual conversation. And Myungsoo wasn't helping; he seemed to be one of those silent types, a hard nut to crack. Sunggyu was about to ask how his trip was (a safe and harmless topic. Maybe next he would ask if he found the weather pleasing. And if that went well maybe they could start exploring deeper topics...like if he had any pets. No, that wouldn't be good because then Sunggyu would have to bring up his fear of dogs, which wasn't exactly an attractive or masculine quality. Maybe food then or...I'm getting off topic), but Woohyun, whom Sunggyu had forgotten was there (it was sad how quickly he got used to the other following him around like a parasite), spoke out, "Since hyung-nim forgot to introduce me, I'll do it myself. I'm Nam Woohyun of the Crimson Isles."

"Uh, he's my adviser," Sunggyu tried to remedy the Crimsonite's interruption, and he could read the shock on Myungsoo's face after Woohyun had said where he was from (and maybe took a step away).

"For what?" Myungsoo finally spoke, bowing to Woohyun from a safe distance.

"Love," Woohyun happily chirped. Myungsoo's jaw dropped and looked towards Sunggyu with wide eyes, who was now rubbing his gloved hand down his face in frustration.

"Uh, yea something like that," Sunggyu quickly added, his voice a little strained. It had only been five minutes since he met Myungsoo, and the other probably thought the prince to be insane or at least have very very bad judgement. Neither qualities are wanted in a potential mate. Sunggyu needed to make himself appear as neutral as possible. He cleared his throat. "He's helping me to sort through all of the suitors. And there's a saying on the Crimson Isles that they love as fiercely as they fight." Woohyun nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

But the apprehension still remained on the Greenlander's face. "Is that so?" Then Myungsoo pretended to see something in the distance (at least Sunggyu could tell that was fake). "Oh! Is that a salves vendor? I told my mother that I would pick up some for her. Please excuse me for a moment," he quickly bowed his head and escaped to the other side of the street.

Sunggyu nodded sheepishly and then turned to face Woohyun, fixing a glare on his face. But Woohyun just grinned as he usually did. The Crimsonite then leaned in and whispered, "Well, hold his hand or something. Make a move. You like this guy, right?"

"Like him? I just met him," Sunggyu angrily whispered back. "Besides, it's hard for me to do anything with so many people watching," he added, his eyes darting around at the crowd that was forming around them (and would be closing in on them, but Woohyun's reputation preceded him). Sunggyu pulled back from the other and began waving to the crowd, receiving squeals and cheers from them. Several of the people were whispering to each other. He could already see rumors flying through the streets at lightening speed, especially since he was accompanying the handsome Greenlander. Sunggyu sighed and looked at Woohyun who was trying to do aegyo for the citizens (but he received more of a confused reaction, so he kept doing it until smiles broke out onto their faces). "And it's hard for me to do anything without you messing things up."

"Me?" Woohyun asked, his focus still on entertaining the crowd.

"Yes you. Did you see how he ran after hearing where you were from?"

Woohyun dropped his hands to his side and turned to Sunggyu with a grave face. "I can't help where I'm from," he replied. His eyes searched Sunggyu's face, reading his tired expression. Woohyun sighed. "Fine, after we get to the palace, I'll leave you two alone. It's been a while since I've trained and played with Ho-hyung anyway."

"Thank you," Sunggyu said with a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease now. Once he and Myungsoo were away from the speculating crowds and the intimidating Crimsonite, they could finally sit down (and eat, Sunggyu was starving) and get to know each other.

"Ahem," a slight cough came from behind them, and there was Myungsoo carrying a bag full of his purchases and with an uncomfortable expression on his face. "I got what I wanted."

Sunggyu smiled warmly, looking forward to some alone time with the other (and hopefully to wiping that pained look off of his face). "Good. Then shall we proceed?" Myungsoo nodded, and the two of them began walking side by side with a grumpy Crimsonite following behind them. "So how was your trip?"

* * *

Sunggyu's father had once told him that Greenlanders were like 'cattle grazing in a pasture.' They were peaceful, slow-moving, tended to stare off in the distance for long periods of time, and ate like they had more than one stomach, hence the large spread that laid out in front of the two of them for lunch. And Myungsoo was devouring his share of it, but he never abandoned his manners, chewing with his mouth closed and making as little of a mess as possible. Sunggyu laughed. This was a far-cry from the recent meals that he had been sharing with Woohyun, who followed the Crimsonite belief that utensils were only useful if you were stabbing someone with it (in fact it was a known fact throughout all kingdoms that the Greenlands and the Crimson Isles did not get along because they were opposites of each other in many respects. Hence the reason why they often called each other 'Greenies' and 'Reds' as some sign of belittling).

"How did you like your accommodations?" Sunggyu asked after Myungsoo had finished off his second turkey leg.

The Greenlander dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin before answering, "They're very nice, and I must say that your gift was quite unique...but cute."

"My gift?"

"The gloves," Myungsoo replied looking down at his lap with a small smile. He was playing with the napkin in his lap as he glanced up at Sunggyu's hands, and his smile grew a little wider. "The same kind you're wearing, in fact."

Sunggyu looked down at his own hand, at the crisp white glove. Then he remembered walking down the halls with Woohyun who was proposing a variety of welcome gifts to him. 'Hyung-nim, what about a couple's gift? It'll show your sincerity.' A couple's gift? Sunggyu never met the Greenlander before; he thought that type of gift would be presumptuous. It was a gift that one should give later on, perhaps after you tell them your name. So Sunggyu told him that he wasn't going to be exchanging rings with the handsome prince just yet. But trust the Crimsonite to come up with some loop hole to get his own way. _But it didn't turn out so bad. Myungsoo seems to like it. Maybe Woohyun knows what he's doing._

"Uh, yes, I thought that it...would be...nice," Sunggyu choked out through his tightening throat. _The gift was Woohyun's idea, so what would Woohyun say about it? Why did he get them?_ Sunggyu glanced down at Myungsoo's bare hands. They weren't the typical hands of a royal. The Greenlanders took pride in doing things with their own hands, like tilling the land (however they still used magic, but more as a supplement/enhancement of their work). The hands were slightly chapped and calloused, showing the signs of labor. _Greenlanders live through their hands_. Sunggyu smiled. "Your hands are as precious as mine," the prince said coyly, raising his own gloved hand to his lips. "They need to be protected as well."

Myungsoo mimicked the other and put his elbows on the table, fingers grazing his lips, slightly hiding his growing smile. "It's nice to know that hyung's already looking after me."

"Of course," Sunggyu quickly spoke, leaning back into his seat. He was growing comfortable with the other quite quickly. The air between them felt like a warm midsummer's night's breeze. "That's the kind of man I am."

Myungsoo watched the other curiously as Sunggyu lifted the glass of red wine to his lips. "Don't you ever take them off?" he asked.

"Only when I'm bathing," the prince coolly answered, resting the glass back down on the table.

Myungsoo leaned in and asked in a low voice, "You don't take them off to eat?"

"What?" Sunggyu's eyes darted about the other's face. He lifted his hand and tugged at the hem of his gloves; they all the sudden felt tight. "These are my dining gloves," he mumbled through his pouting lips.

A loud roaring laugh ripped through the air, accompanied by some sharp claps. Sunggyu glanced upwards and saw Myungsoo laughing hysterically, eyes screwed shut, arms flailing and barely reaching together in a clap. "You're funny, hyung," he cheered.

Sunggyu giggled slightly, his cheeks were reddening. "Well, I'm that kind of man too."

* * *

The next day Sunggyu woke up to a pounding on his chamber doors. Hoya had come to wake him up because the prince was late for an assembly with the kingdom's chancellors. The sun was already bright and high in the sky. He hadn't woken up this late or slept for this long in days. He felt rested, energized, ready to take on the day and those pesky chancellors (they could be quite stubborn and tight-fisted). But he wasn't prepared to deal with the renewed onslaught of suitors, who somehow invaded the meeting. Even the elderly chancellors made their own appeals, telling the prince that he grew up nicely and pats on the back lingered for a bit too long. After being smothered with flattery and gifts, Sunggyu managed to wiggle out of the room  with just a few tears in his clothes. He couldn't remember the last time they had gotten this close to him. Sunggyu straightened his clothes. He had no time to dwell on it now; he was lunching with Myungsoo in a few moments and then taking him on a tour throughout the gardens. _The Greenlander will miss his greenery while staying in this seaside city_ , who had said that to him? 

The tour had went better than expected. Myungsoo was fascinated with the honeybee farm that resided in the one of the corners. It apparently was a hobby of his. He found the buzzing of the bees calming, like white noise. And Sunggyu couldn't recall ever having the farm before. It looked newly built.

Eventually Sunggyu had to excuse himself to attend to his father (mother), promising the other that he would introduce his father to him when his condition was better. It was a lie. Just like the lie he told his mother, that everything was fine. Sunggyu didn't get it. Everything should be fine. The day went almost flawlessly, but he had a sneaking suspicion that something was missing. It was like he had forgotten to do something. He looked down. No, he was wearing pants, and even his fly was zipped. His shoes were tied. Sunggyu went over the day's schedule in his head, checking everything off as he ran through it. He had done everything. After sifting through his mind's eye, staring at the ceiling, he brought his head back down. He was starting to get a crick in his neck with all this thinking. He scanned his father's still body. Still, quiet, like his whole day had been, which was like his days used to be before...Woohyun. Sunggyu snorted and shook his head. He wasn't actually missing that little runt, following him around. Sunggyu thought it was a lot like a thorn in one's side. Once it was taken out, the ghost of the thorn is still there, and it feels slightly empty.

To be honest, Sunggyu was impressed that Woohyun was able to keep his distance, allowing room for Myungsoo and Sunggyu to get to know each other. The prince doubted though, whether the other could last for that long. He bet that the Crimsonite would crash his dinner like he usually did. But the prince ended up losing that bet and ate alone. _Maybe I should have asked Myungsoo to join me,_ he thought when he chewed on his meat. It tasted dry. He took a sip from his glass and narrowed his eyes on the seat across from him. What's the point of having two seats at a table if you ate by yourself? Dear Lord, he was actually missing Woohyun's company, or just company in general. _Maybe he's sick. Yes, that make sense. Why else have I not seen him all day? He must be bedridden._

And so after dinner he found himself outside of Woohyun's quarters. _What am I doing here? If he's sick, then he could get me sick_. But his hand was reaching for the doorknob. _The gloves, the gloves will protect me. These damned things are actually coming in handy_. He turned the knob. "Woohyun?" he asked as he stuck his head through the door. But there was no answer. The room was empty. Sunggyu opened the rest of the door wide opened and pouted. If he wasn't sick, then where was he?

The prince stepped inside and examined the room more closely. Was he hiding? He wouldn't put it past the other. While Sunggyu was on his hands and knees, looking under the bed, he found a piece of paper. It had been ripped from a book. Sunggyu took it and looked at it more closely. He laughed. It was taken out of the codex Woohyun had presented him weeks earlier filled his potential matches, and it was Woohyun's profile.

In the photo, the Crimsonite was wearing an expression that he must have thought was fierce, but it was undercut by the large red heart encircling it. He too had compiled a list of pros, cons, and assets, written in the only way Nam Woohyun knew: exaggerating everything (Sunggyu had noticed earlier on that Woohyun never really outright lied but exaggerated everything, bent the truth slightly).

 **Pros:** best fighter in the kingdom (well, Sunggyu couldn't argue with that. The runt had defeated all of his best knights in a few hours' time), smart (that made Sunggyu laugh. The Crimsonite might know people well, but he wasn't exactly an intellectual), most handsomest man ever (in his own mind)

 **Cons:** a bit slow (at least he was upfront about it) and noisy (sometimes Sunggyu could barely get a word in edge-wise and Woohyun didn't seem to understand the concept of an 'indoor voice')

 **Asset:** my heart  <3

Sunggyu laughed to himself. The thing was that the two of them wouldn't be a bad match. Their looks suited each other (yes Sunggyu could readily admit that Myungsoo was much more handsome than him). And politically it would make since, making the tenuous relationship between the two lands more permanent. _Too bad that Nam Woohyun was still Nam Woohyun,_ Sunggyu reminded himself.

"Hyung-nim?" Sunggyu turned around to see Woohyun in his doorway, looking about with confusion. His hair was damp and his undershirt was clinging to his chest. It looked like he had just come from a bath, and even his cheeks were still pink from the bathwater's heat. "What are you doing here?"

Sunggyu ignored his questions and proposed his own. He showed the ripped page to the freshly bathed prince and smirked. "You made one for yourself?"

And Woohyun didn't even look embarrassed. He walked into his room and to his bedstand where his own array of lotions and such lied (a couple of which were  Sunggyu's but the prince was too busy studying the page to notice). "Of course, hyung-nim," he chirped as he rubbed lotion onto his hands. "I'm the most eligible bachelor in the entire land!"

"You need to put 'cocky' in the con column," Sunggyu scoffed. Then he spotted a quill and an ink well nearby on Woohyun's work table. "Here I'll do it," he announced as he made his way to the table. He crouched over, dipped the quill in the ink well, and scratched his 'amendment' into the paper. After he was done, the prince looked up at the Crimsonite who was looking over his should with a worried glance. Sunggyu smiled proudly. "Much better." Woohyun read it and pouted. The smile on Sunggyu's face grew wider. "While I'm at it, your manners are poor too and you smell funny sometimes and..."

Woohyun ripped the page from off the desk, causing Sunggyu to draw a black, jagged line across the page. The Crimsonite studied the page, and his frowned deepened. "Don't you have anything nice to say?" he mumbled. Sunggyu thought for a few seconds and nodded. He gestured to the other to give the page back to him. Woohyun obeyed with apprehension, handing the paper back. Sunggyu giggled to himself as he wrote. When he was finished, he allowed Woohyun to pick it up. He read it outloud, "Looks most handsome when he's...not...talking. Hyung-nim, that's a back-handed compliment!" Sunggyu just shrugged nonchalantly. Woohyun groaned, "Why did you even come in here?"

Sunggyu then feigned interest in the stack of papers on the table. "I thought you were sick," he answered in a distracted voice. 

"No, I was just helping Ho-hyung with training. He's starting something called the 'Red Challenge' where the knights challenge me in combat. Ho-hyung makes me go easy on them, so it's no fun. But it's still cool, right hyung-nim?" Woohyun searched for praise from the other and even stepped closer, bowing his head slightly, shaking his damp hair.

Sunggyu ignored him. "You could have told me," the prince complained under his breath. "Or at least Hoya could have."

"D-did you miss me, hyung-nim?" Woohyun asked excitedly. Sunggyu's eyes darted across the room, avoiding the other's gaze. "You did!" he exclaimed. His arms suddenly wrapped around the prince, and he gave him a tight squeeze. Sunggyu could feel the air being pressed out his lungs like a bellow and his bones creaking. 

"Let go! I can't breathe!" he ordered, wiggling in his grasp. Woohyun (to his surprise) did. His grin plastered across his smug face. "And I didn't miss you," Sunggyu insisted. "But I needed you," he confessed, watching his finger play with the edge of the table. "To get rid of the suitors this afternoon. Even old man Jungyeop tried to make a move on me. You're lucky that I'm not firing you for your absence."

Woohyun sat down on his bed, taking off his shoes. "Yes, I'm very lucky," his voice laid thick with sarcasm. He kicked the shoes away from him with a sigh. "Tomorrow, I'll be back by your side tomorrow."

"Good...I should probably go now," Sunggyu announced. He walked up to the door and hesitated, chewing on his lip. He cleared his throat. "I thought of one," the prince confessed.

"One of what?"

Sunggyu made several starts before finally spilling out the compliment. "You...you have a nice voice. Good night," he quickly bid before he exited down the hall.

"NIGHT HYUNG-NIM! SWEET DREAMS!"

_Damn kid doesn't know how to control his voice._

* * *

 The following days, Sunggyu returned to his former regular routine. Woohyun woke him up in the mornings in his usual fashion, and their morning spat soon ensued as normal. Sunggyu attended to his business, and Woohyun to his. The suitors rarely ever approached with the Crimsonite present. Just his presence was enough and was worth about 20 guards, Hoya included. The afternoons the prince normally spent them with Myungsoo, showing him around the city, talking with the Greenlander about politics and interests. They got along phenomenally well. Even some citizens were starting to show support for this blossoming couple; also the sell of gloves sky-rocketed, becoming the recent couple trend.

Sunggyu never really knew what Woohyun did when he was on his dates, but he had a sneaking suspicion. His mother was looking happier recently, and yet his father's condition was still the same so the reason lied elsewhere.

But eventually the conversations with Myungsoo grew deeper and longer. They started to discuss the future, their future. "Well, I can't leave my home," Myungsoo declared as he moved his chess piece up the board, claiming one of Sunggyu's black pieces. He juggled the black figure in his hands. "My people need me too much, and no offense, but your kingdom can run practically on it's own. You already have an efficient system set up. But my land is still in need of reform. I can barely afford this month's leave as it is."

Sunggyu inhaled deeply, now capturing one of the Greenlander's pieces. "I guess we can't help that then," he said with a small smile. He was winning the game, or so it seemed. "Is there a possibility of a long distance arrangement?"

"Uh, um, my people wouldn't like that," he stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wouldn't like that," he added with weird smile. The Greenlander fixed his eyes on the chess board in front of him, planning his next move. "We kind of believe that man and wife...or man and man, that it takes both to till the land in order to make it fruitful, if you excusing the farming metaphor." He found the move and was closing in on Sunggyu's queen. The prince was out one more piece.

Sunggyu nodded. "Better together than apart," he reiterated. _Dang it!_ He moved a piece to protect his queen, but he knew it was useless.

"Exactly." Checkmate.

The prince chuckled at his defeat and glimpsed upwards from the board to the sweetly smiling Greenlander across from him. Sunggyu could have lost to someone worse. He leaned in. "Well, I guess the only option is for me to move to the Greenlands with you," he spoke in a hushed voice.

"You would really do that?!" Myungsoo's eyes widened in shock; they sparkled with delight. A smile slowly overwhelmed his face, and Sunggyu couldn't fight back the smile forming on his own. "Gyu-hyung, you would love it there! It's so open and...green," he ended with a slight cock of his head, regretting that he couldn't come up with something better to say.

Sunggyu began cleaning up the pieces on the board. "I bet it's a beautiful place," he responded.

Myungsoo nodded emphatically. "It's a great place," he insisted. He opened his mouth to say more, but a crash echoed throughout the room. Both of the princes snapped their heads to the source of the sound. Hoya was bent over at the threshold, trying to regain his breath. Once he sensed that all eyes were laid on him, the captain raised his head. It was a look that Sunggyu rarely saw on the other: a look of complete and utter horror.

"Your highness! Pardon the interruption but...your father-"

Sunggyu ran out the door before Hoya could even finish.

* * *

  _It finally happened. It happened. He's gone...finally_. A strange swirl of emotions swept through the prince's mind, overtaking him like a storm. A mix of sadness, regret, relief, and perhaps a bit of hunger (he had skipped dinner). Although he knew that this moment was past due, nothing prepared him for the sight of seeing his distraught and lamenting mother grasp desperately at the ashes that the king had crumbled into. The ashes staining her clothes, marking her face, matting her hair. It was like she wanted to embrace him one more time, refusing to let him go. It took hours and a strong dose of a calming potion to get her to take a bath and crawl into her bed, to tear her away from that dirt-gray pile.

Sunggyu looked out his bedroom window, overlooking the shore, seeing the stars' reflections in the sea. He exhaled deeply. It'll be the sight of his father's funeral tomorrow. Tomorrow would mark the day one king's reign ended and another's began, his reign. The day the whole kingdom could finally let go of the man who had been dead for over a year. _But mother wouldn't._ _She couldn't_. He gripped the edge of the window; his knuckles grew white. He didn't know what he was going to do with her, or how long she would outlast his father at this rate. But he needed her. He needed family. He just needed to be...

A foreign pair of arms encircled his waist, and Sunggyu could feel a cheek pressed against his shoulder blade. He bit the inside of his cheek, gripped the hands at his waist, and pulled them away as he turned around. "I'm not in the mood W-" he stopped, blinking. He was facing Myungsoo.

The Greenlander's eyes drifted away. "Sorry. I just thought," his voice sounded tight in his throat, as if he was fighting back a storm broiling in him as well.

"No, no. It's okay," Sunggyu reassured him with a gentle voice. "I just thought you were someone else...Hoya." Myungsoo finally lifted his eyes and their gaze met. Sunggyu opened his arms to the other. "Come here," he beckoned.

Myungsoo fell easily into the other's chest. Arms cradled each other. Sunggyu smiled slightly in spite of everything because he thought it was ironic. He seemed to be comforting Myungsoo instead of the other way around. "It must be awful, hyung," Myungsoo's voice was strangled. "I'm so sorry."

Sunggyu looked across the room and saw that the door was still open; light from the hallway was spilling into the room. "Yea," he responded perhaps a beat too late. His hands were patting the other's back. Quickly out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow fleeing across the light, but even in the short instant, he knew who that small shadow belonged to. "It sucks." 

* * *

 “But it is only what happens, when they die, to all mortals. The sinews no longer hold the flesh and the bones together, and once the spirit has let the white bones, all the rest of the body is made subject to the fire's strong fury, but the soul flitters out like a dream and flies away.”

After reading that passage, Sunggyu returned his great-grandfather's book to his nightstand. It seemed fitting for the day. He hadn't slept a wink that night, in anticipation. When he thought it was about time to get out of bed after seeing the sun's position in the sky, just barely above the horizon, Sunggyu began to get dressed in the traditional white funeral attire. And he was fully dressed by the time he heard footsteps creeping up behind him. The prince turned to see a surprised Woohyun, who was hesitating about what to do next since Sunggyu was already awake.

Sunggyu scoffed, breaking the silence between them. "Are you seriously wearing that?"

Woohyun picked nervously at the sleeves of his sunburnt red outfit. "It's a funeral. This is what you wear," he defended himself. He walked up slowly to the prince's side. "You know, returning to the earth." Sunggyu nodded, recalling the custom of the Crimsonites burying their dead into the red clay, where they thought man first originated. Woohyun broke into his thoughts as he picked at the collar of the white coat, straightening it. "We wear white when we get married. What do you wear?"

"Not this," Sunggyu joked, jostling a bit in his spot. "I guess you'll see it soon enough."

Woohyun dropped his hands to his side. "Things going well with Myungsoo?" he asked. His grin seemed a bit forced, which was understandable. Today wasn't the day to be happy.

"This is not really the time to discuss this," Sunggyu chided. He pulled himself up straight, and he ticked off his duties, "I have to pick up my mother, and you have to line up with Hoya, with the rest of the knights." He then brushed past the Crimsonite, exiting the room, or at least he almost did.

"Wait, hyung-nim. Don't go yet," Woohyun called out after him, and Sunggyu stopped and turned. Woohyun shuffled up to him and wrapped him up in a hug. A short laugh passed through Sunggyu's lips. In less than 24 hours, he has received more hugs than he did in the last 5 year. And he was surprised at how different they felt. With Myungsoo, he felt as if the other was draping over him like a warm cashmere blanket. But with Woohyun, Sunggyu could feel it deep within his bones, entering into his marrow.

The prince realized that he was returning the hug and for a bit too long. He cleared his throat. "Are you done yet?"

Woohyun let go, hanging his head. "Uh, yea. Sorry. I guess I'll go." The Crimsonite in his bright outfit began to glumly shuffle away.

"Woohyun, wait," now Sunggyu called to the other. Woohyun faced him with a raised eyebrow. "My mother, I won't be able to take care of her on my own, and she said that you were once her replacement for me so..." The question drifted into the air.

Woohyun smiled warmly yet sadly at the same time. He gave a short nod. "I'll look after her too, hyung-nim."

"Thank you."

* * *

 Sunggyu and the queen led the procession throughout the city, carrying the box of the king's ashes between them. Everyone, of all ages and nations, joined in. The procession took place at the dark of night, as was custom, and so everyone carried a slender, white candle with them lighting their way. But Sunggyu didn't have one. All he could see was the blinding darkness in front of him. But it didn't matter. He knew the city like the back of his hand.

Eventually they reached their destination, the shore with sparkling white sands (hence the name of the kingdom). And where the waves touched the sand, a small boat filled with small flowers was placed. Sunggyu and his mother put the box in the nest of blossoms. The queen gave her son a quick but warm hug and a peck on the cheek before returning with the rest of the crowd. One of her handmaidens handed her a candle, which cast an eerie glow on her gaunt face.

Sunggyu swallowed hardly as he turned his attention back to the boat holding his father. He took in a deep breath, tried to calm the heart beating erratically in his chest. It was time. He spoke out in a booming voice which reverberated against the resounding waves, "May the waters rise to meet you. May the wind always at your back. And the sun shine warm upon your face. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of His hands." He walked into the water, pulling the boat at his side, and once he was out of the shallows, he pushed the boat out to sea. He let out a breath, watching it sail away. The waters were so clear that they reflected the constellations above. It looked like his father was sailing off to find his place in the stars.

Soon, the prince-now-king rejoined the crowd as well, standing next to his mother. Myungsoo was by his side as well, leaning against him, taking his hand into his own. But all the prince could feel was the fabric of his glove pressing deeper into his skin. It felt cold.

* * *

It was a few hours before sunrise when Sunggyu finally returned to his chambers. The warmth of his bed was calling to him all night, and he wanted nothing more than to escape the cold and welcoming the sweet sopor that was sleep. _Maybe Woohyun would finally let me sleep in this time_ , he joked to himself. He pulled off his coat and loosened the tie around his neck. He threw them into the corner of his room as he quickly glanced out the window. But after he did, the prince did again. He walked up to the window. Seeing with the dim light of the moon, Sunggyu could clearly see a red spec contrasted against the white sands. He groaned and reached for his rumpled coat. "Shit...I just want to sleep." He went out his doors.

"Woohyun, what are you doing out here?" Sunggyu asked as he approached the Crimsonite who was sitting with his chin resting on his knees. But he remained still as a statue, with his eyes fixed on the horizon. Sunggyu cleared his throat and spoke a bit louder, thinking that his voice wasn't heard above the waves. "Hyun, what are you doing?" Woohyun turned his head away from the other. He was intentionally ignoring the prince. "Are you okay?" Sunggyu asked, concern rising. He was answered with silence. "Are you not going to talk to me?" Nothing. "Fine. Stay out here. See if I care." The prince turned to leave.

A few minutes later, he turned back. Sunggyu placed his face only inches away from Woohyun, who fought to hide his face from the prince, who tried to catch Woohyun's gaze. Their heads were both bobbing and down for a while. Sunggyu continuously asking "What? What's wrong? Are you crying?" Eventually, Sunggyu stopped and bit his tongue, staring at Woohyun whose head was buried deep between his knees. The prince groaned in defeat and sat down next to the other.

The silence that fell upon them grew oppressive for Sunggyu. The day had been too quiet, too mournful. And the last thing he needed was for Woohyun to be quiet too. He hated it. Someone had to fill the silence, so he did, "Hoya and I swore to secrecy on this, but," he paused for a bit before continuing. "he and I went to go hunt down that witch as soon as she left the city. I had told my mother and the chancellors that we were journeying to other kingdoms to assure them of our stability, but we sent someone else to do that." Sunggyu stopped to glance over at Woohyun, who retreated out of the safety of his knees and looking at Sunggyu out of the corners of his eyes. Sunggyu went on, "It took us 2 weeks in the outskirts to find her. And when we did, her lands were green and...well, she had finally figured out how to make it rain. At first, I tried to be diplomatic. According to the arrangement, her lands returned to normal and so should my father. But she refused because he didn't do anything to help her. Stupid bitch. Her lands weren't even in my father's domain. She was just picking on him for fun." He grunted as he threw a shell into the water, trying to rid the anger boiling up in him again. He sighed as he watched the shell plop into the sea. "So we killed her, okay so Hoya mostly did, but I finished her. I wanted to have that satisfaction. Then we went to the Wastelands to find someone to reverse the spell. We must have seen at least a hundred of them, but the answer was all the same: it was too late. Parts of the spell were irreversible. His arteries and veins had already hardened. If he were to suddenly move, they would immediately break. And, well, that wouldn't be good. So after a month of searching, we came back, and I went back to my chambers and cried. For me, that was the night my father died. I had already cried too many tears, spent too many nights wide awake. I've done my mourning. That man I sent out into sea wasn't my father, it was just an image of him."

"Why are you telling me this?" Woohyun finally spoke up as soon as Sunggyu finished. He was now making eye contact with the other. Sunggyu could see his red eyes (similar to his clothes) and the glistening tracks on his cheeks.

Sunggyu shrugged. "Because you looked like you needed to hear it."

"Really?" Woohyun asked with a sniff. He returned his gaze into the sea. The Crimsonite then wiped his face roughly and whimpered slightly. "It's just that...I liked your father. He was a good man," The best man." He puffed out his cheeks and let out a long breath, trying to rein in his emotions. "My father said that your father was the only one to treat us like people and not beasts. He talked to us, not down to us, actually listened to us, and respected our opinions. He understood that just because we talk slow it doesn't make us stupid. And he was cool." He then turned to Sunggyu, looking at the prince's feet. "My father likes you too."

"Really? Why?"

"Because this is the first time in history a Crimsonite has ever been appointed to an unmilitaristic post in a foreign kingdom. He thinks you're just like your father. That you respect me and trust me," Woohyun explained. Then his eyes met with Sunggyu's. They were narrowed and dark. "But he doesn't know the truth. What you're really like. If he did, he wouldn't be saying that," he almost growled.

Sunggyu tilted his head and playfully nudged the other. "You think that I don't trust you?"

Woohyun pulled away so that the elder couldn't touch him. "Hyung-nim, I got to the part of the book you wanted me to read," he confessed. "It took a while because the book is really big." He stared at Sunggyu, disappointed. "You...you thought that I would just kill all the suitors, didn't you?"

"Ah, no, I-" Sunggyu stuttered, struggling to defend himself. Woohyun glowered at him. Sunggyu bit his lip. "Okay I did," he admitted. "I was desperate then and naive and dumb, but you proved me wrong, Hyun. You prove me wrong all the time. What you did was even better, and now, along with Hoya who I've known for my entire life, you are one of the people that I trust the most."

"You do?" Woohyun asked as if he almost didn't believe it, coming closer to Sunggyu to see any sign of wavering that would betray him. But Sunggyu was still and strong. He nodded emphatically, hoping that the Crimsonite would see his honesty. But Woohyun came even closer regardless, aligning his pupils with his own as if he was trying to stare into the prince's mind. Sunggyu could feel their noses brushing against each other and hot air hitting his lips; however he still didn't even move or flinch. He needed Woohyun to know that he was telling the truth.

Woohyun pressed his lips against Sunggyu's and pulled away shortly afterwards. "I trust you too," he said, his grin finally gracing his face once again.

Sunggyu was speechless, his eyes wide, and body frozen. He could still hear and feel Woohyun's breath against his skin. His hand slid against the sand, inching closer. His head lowered a bit to the level of the other. Just a little more and...

Woohyun suddenly stood up. "We should go back now, hyung-nim. It's late. I know how much you love your sleep." 

Just a little more and...Sunggyu would have been in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the finale. dun dun DUN!!
> 
> Also...I love myunggyu.


	3. There is nothing more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye keep house as man and wife [or man], confounding their enemies and delighting their friends.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale!!
> 
> The ending is a bit rushed (it's late and I'm sleeeeeeeeepy). But thanks for reading and sticking with me through all of this. You're the best!!

"It's here somewhere," Sunggyu murmured under his breath as his fingers roamed the spines of aged books in his library. The answer to last night lied in one of them: the reason why Woohyun had kissed him. For along with customs and traditions, the kingdoms also differed in their use of skinship. For example, those from the Ivory Mountains, which get their name from their perpetually snow-capped peaks, greet each other by rubbing their noses together (basically because that is the only part of their bodies which is exposed and free). Also Greenlanders tend to physically lean onto another to show that they depended on another for support, in all sense of the word. And so when Myungsoo started to lean against Sunggyu, the prince took it as a sign that a marriage between the two was not only probable but likely to happen (in fact he had been considering proposing soon to the Greenlander up until the events of the past few days, when his mind had been occupied by other thoughts). But the rules of the isolated and borderline barbaric Crimson Isles still lied under a cloud of mystery. Sunggyu knew that they preferred to do things the 'good ole fashioned way,' but no one knew what that was exactly. It could be either archaic or traced back to their animalistic roots. Sunggyu, however, knew that his library held an old tome about the matter, which he used to 'study' from when he was younger. He mostly used it as a headrest for napping as it was the right thickness and had a slick cover (so that no betraying marks were impressed onto his cheeks). "Aha!" he cheered as he pulled _The Lives and Ways of the Crimson Isles_ from the shelf (which still even had a drool mark from its old use as a pillow).

The prince flipped through the book, quickly scanning every page. He only got to the point that animal hearts should be given by a host to a guest as a sign that their hearth and heart was opened and welcoming them, the bloodier and fresher the heart the better, (in retrospect Woohyun's constant heart-throwing may have been a more civilized reflection of that custom), when there was a knock at his chamber doors. "Come in," Sunggyu replied with a distracted voice, still searching through the yellowed pages.

"Your highness, I...what are you reading?" Hoya suddenly asked. He hardly ever found the prince this studious or reading from a book so large. Sunggyu was more likely to be caught napping then his nose in a text bigger than his own face, especially in a book without any pictures. Sunggyu quickly lifted up the book to show the captain the title, and returned to his search, which was immediately interrupted again by Hoya's next question. "Oh, how did you know?"

"Know what?" Sunggyu lifted his eyes from the book.

"That Woohyun's father and brother are at the ports," Hoya responded as if the prince already knew.

Sunggyu's jaw dropped. One Crimsonite was hardly manageable (and he was rather tame one). But three at once, two of which are the fiercest of the entire kingdom? _Is this what a heart attack feels like?_ he thought, clenching his pounding chest. "What? Why? Why are they here?" he bombarded the guard with questions as soon as he recovered from the shock. He stood up from the desk and started pacing around, with his fists attached to his temples as he tried to calm himself down.

"Umm," Hoya started as he curiously watched the prince go through a mental breakdown (and not being a very big help either). "They are here for your coronation."

"Right. Right. Of course," Sunggyu mumbled. His thoughts were still running a mile a minute as he was steeling his nerves. The ceremony was to take place the next day, and several rulers from other lands were attending. Why Sunggyu hadn't anticipated the Crimsonites' arrival was a huge oversight on his behalf. He had to quickly pretend as if he had.

"Captain! Go get me a heart! A bloody one!"

* * *

 "Uh, Hello and welcome," Sunggyu greeted Woohyun's relatives at the palace doors with obviously faked cheer. Woohyun was with his father and brother, who towered over him and whose hoary beards almost reached past their belts (Sunggyu didn't think that they bared any resemblance or that they were even the same species). His friend was looking the prince up and down with a raised eyebrow, as if he didn't expect him to appear. Sunggyu took and shook the father's hands, which completely engulfed his own. "Thank you so much for coming to my coronation. The ceremony wouldn't be complete without the presence of our most important ally," he attempted to flatter them, but he couldn't read the elder Nam's expression between the shaggy eyebrows and the bushy beard. All he saw were dark, black eyes that felt like they were piercing through Sunggyu's soul. And Woohyun's brother, Boohyun, hardly seemed any less unflinching (but he did give a slight twitch of his head, which Sunggyu hoped was a nod of approval).

Sunggyu's eyes quickly darted to Woohyun, begging to help ease the tense situation. The other picked up on the hint. "Why don't I take you guys on a tour of the palace? I can show you my room, the gardens, the lilies bloomed nicely this year, and the torture chambers. You can still see the blood and guts on the floor. It's fantastic!" he said excitedly, tugging on his father's sleeve, trying to distract the elder from the prince, but to no avail. His father's eyes were still fixed on Sunggyu. Boohyun spat just inches away from his feet.

But then Sunggyu saw Hoya running up to them out of the corner of his eye. The captain's hands were painted red and cupped; his face looked utterly disgusted. "Uh, yes, here is your bloody heart," Sunggyu awkwardly announced, acting as if it was an everyday occurrence. Everybody watched in silence as Hoya plopped the still beating heart into the eldest Nam's hands. At least the king's eyes left scrutinizing Sunggyu to stare at the jumping organ in his massive hands. Sunggyu could feel his own heartbeat slowing down like the one in front of him (what animal did Hoya even get that from).

Then a hearty laugh rang through the hall. The prince looked up to see king roaring with laughter (and when he smiled his eyes looked like Woohyun's, which eased Sunggyu's mind a bit). The elder brought his free arm around Sunggyu and brought him into his burly chest. Sunggyu could see up close the small animal bones decorating his beard like beads, which were jingling with each laugh. "Just like his father, this one," he praised with an unexpected jovial voice. "Always treatin' us with respect."

Woohyun's eyes were wide with shock. "I didn't even tell him to do that, Papa!" he proudly exclaimed.

"Of course, his father taught him well. That good man, may he rest in peace." He quickly bowed his head as if saying a quick prayer. Then he squeezed the heart in his hand (and in front of Sunggyu's face) as he continued, "This is what I like about the Crystalleans: they respect our customs, and don't look at us like we're some sort of barbarians. Everybody else is too much of a pansy to deal with us, like those bloody Greenlanders, who think we're just a step above their livestock. And we're not animals, right son? We're not scary?" he asked, looking down at Sunggyu for an answer.

"Oh, um, right," Sunggyu stuttered, hoping not to be crushed by the other. "Of course not."

Obviously satisfied with his answer, the Crimsonite king let Sunggyu go and turned to his youngest son. "Now show us around, son," he politely commanded. Woohyun happily nodded and began to lead them down the hall. "Exactly how many people have been tortured here recently? I want to know how fresh the blood is."

As the family turned the corner, Woohyun subtly gave Sunggyu a wink and a thumbs up. But Boohyun's eyes never left the prince until he had rounded the corner. Unlike his father, Boohyun had never broken his stoic exterior, sending chills down Sunggyu's spine, which he was currently shivering from. Then Hoya whistled after their departure. "What a weird people," he grumbled as he tried to shake blood clots and residue off of his hands.

"Yea," Sunggyu agreed barely above a whisper, too afraid that the Crimsonites would hear. Then he turned towards the captain. "Where did you get that thing anyway?"

Hoya gave in and finally wiped his coated hands on his pants (which were thankfully black). "You might be wanting a new cat soon, your highness," he replied apologetically, and began to walk away from the stunned prince.

"Jjongie? You killed Sir Sungjong?! Yah! I could hang you for high treason!"

(Hoya didn't. He had caught the butcher moments before he was going to slaughter the pig for the night's feast, and was surprised when the prince had believed cat's hearts were that big).

* * *

That night a large feast took place fit for the royals present. Several kings, queens, prince, princesses, and so-on-and-so-forth had traveled from every corner of the land to attend Sunggyu's coronation. The future king felt honored to have so many to witness the most momentous occasion in his life, but most importantly to remember and honor his departed father. This was the first major event in the palace since the funeral, and Sunggyu had started it with a moment of silence for the passed king. Seeing all reverently bow their heads and willingly close their eyes in prayer warmed his heart. He had been loved by all.

But that thought seemed to add to Sunggyu's growing nerves. He had big shoes to fill, important relationships to maintain, an image to upkeep. In spite of acting as king for over a year now, he still didn't feel ready, especially after meeting with several royals for the first time, all whose eyes were judging his every move. He couldn't have anything jeopardize this moment, which is hard to do when one is being hounded by several throne-hungry suitors.

So on his left, instead of Myungsoo (who was sitting next to his mother on the right, sat Woohyun. His presence made the prince feel more secure, knowing that the suitors may not tempt anything with the small Crimsonite present. It also didn't hurt that his father and brother sat next to him, creating a terrifying barrier that even the bravest and most tenacious suitor would not want to cross. Or so he had thought.

There was the usual parade of beautiful (and much too young) princes and princesses who glanced shyly towards Sunggyu. Then those who were more forth-coming with their light and lingering touches, but nothing too overwhelming. But Sunggyu gulped harshly once he saw Sungyeol suddenly stand up halfway through the meal. Everyone turned towards the tall prince, who had slammed his fists on the long table in frustration.

"Is there a problem with your meal Sungyeol-ssi?" the queen asked with genuine concern, unaware what had ill-feelings the other shared with her son.

"I do have a problem, but not with the meal, your majesty," he started, bowing apologetically in her direction. He then straightened himself and narrowed his eyes on the man next to her. "My issue with with your son. In fact it's a problem that has been bothering quite a number of us." That comment was followed by several approving jeers and nods.

Sunggyu felt his palms grow wet, the gloves clung even closer to his skin, as he saw his mother furrow her eyebrows in confusion out of the corner of his eyes. She looked towards her son and replied to Sungyeol, "I don't understand."

"Your son had been leading us on. For almost a year now, he's been watching us bend over backwards to please him, to try to win his favor, to kiss his ass. We thought that he was looking for a partner, but it seems like he has no intention of marrying. Instead, he's been laughing his face off watching us make fools of ourselves like we're his little playthings. And now he's hiding behind that damn Red as if we are some sort of threat. Well, I for one has had enough, haven't you?" he turned to the crowd, and the majority cheered. But Sunggyu felt Woohyun stiffen next to him, poised as if waiting for Sunggyu's orders to take Sungyeol down.

"Just shut up, you damn Yellow-belly. No one wants to hear your whining," Woohyun's father bellowed, and the whole room fell silent, except for Sungyeol who was still standing and now had his eyes fixed on the eldest Nam.

"I am _the_ prince of the Saffron Hills, sir," Sungyeol growled. "And I will not tolerate being treated thusly, by you, your son, and especially you, Sunggyu-ssi," he ended, glaring at the Crystallean. "We have lives to get back to. We can't spend an eternity courting you."

"I agree," Sunggyu finally spoke up with a resigned sigh. He then cleared his throat before speaking in a clear and authoritative voice. "And that is why I will announce my decision at the end of this week. I fully intend on starting my reign with someone by my side." A rising murmur passed through the crowd. Sunggyu raised his voice to be heard over it. "But now is not the time to discuss such matters. We are all here tonight to celebrate my father. "

The long table shook at the Crimsonite king stood up and raised a glass. "To King Sunghoon. The greatest king of Crystal Shores and the best man," his voice echoed.

To Sunggyu's surprise, Myungsoo was the one to stand next and join in on the toast. "To King Sunghoon." And slowly everyone followed suit like a ripple in the water. Sunggyu smiled in relief, having resolved one issue and pacified Sungyeol, who also raised his glass. But the smile did not grace his face for long.

"To my father."

* * *

 "I apologize for my disruption during dinner," Sungyeol said, having caught up with Sunggyu in the halls after the feast. "But I hope that you understand where I was coming from. I have been waiting a long time for you to take this matter seriously. And I hope that I haven't ruined my chances with you."

Sunggyu scoffed, recalling all of the lies and empty flattery Sungyeol had showered him with during their 'courting' phase. The other had treated him like a weak-hearted woman for most of it, and for the other half, Sungyeol was too busy hiding the fact that he was seeing others on the side. The Saffron Prince only wanted Sunggyu for his throne and prominence throughout all the kingdoms, and nothing more. Sunggyu knew that the suitors weren't reined in by his good looks, and his kingdom wasn't even the richest one. But it was rich in ports, and it's location made it easy for most kingdoms to travel to. Of course it wasn't wealthy in natural resources like the Greenlands, but because people from all walks of life tended to congregate there, it was a hotbed of innovation, making its biggest export not a material thing but ideas. It was the perfect place for someone to make a name for and establish themselves. The perfect place for a prince from one of the smaller kingdoms like the Saffron Hills to marry into significance (Sungyeol had an older sister that would succeed him).

"I thought I was a boring asshole," Sunggyu challenged.

"I'm sure that I'll find something entertaining about you, Sunggyu-ssi," Sungyeol retorted with a wink before exiting down the hall. "Sweet dreams, my _sweet_ _prince_."

Sunggyu cringed. If he could deck the other without repercussion, Sungyeol would have a black eye already, but Sunggyu needed to check his anger, control himself. So he kept his clenched fists deep in his pockets, shaking with agitation. In his mind, he was slowly counting to distract himself. It didn't help that he was imaging delivering a punch onto Sungyeol with each number he counted.

"He's not normally like that," a soft voice came from his side. Startled, Sunggyu turned to see Myungsoo suddenly appear next to him. The Greenlander was shaking his head in disapproval. "I've known him since childhood. Yeol only acts like that when he thinks others are being unjust."

Sunggyu smirked. "So I'm being unjust?" he countered.

"No. No I didn't mean that," Myungsoo sputtered.

Sunggyu shook his head. "No, he's right. I dragged this out for too long. It's finally time that I make a decision." He leaned against the other, following the Greenland custom. "Especially when the decision is all but made official."

Myungsoo tried to bite back his quickly forming smile, trying not to seem so excited. "So by the end of this week?"

"Eung," Sunggyu grunted, worn out by the day's activities (but mostly by dealing with Sungyeol). He then lifted himself off from the other. "We should draw up a contract beforehand and agree on the terms."

"Like making the Greenlands our permanent residence?" he asked to make certain. Sunggyu nodded. Myungsoo couldn't fight back his smile this time around. "Perfect. Let's draw up the contracts tonight and finalize them after the ceremony."

Sunggyu chuckled. "Can't wait to marry me, huh?"

Myungsoo coolly shrugged. "Like I said before, my kingdom needs me. Good night, hyung," he wished, giving Sunggyu a peck on the cheek before departing to his own chambers. Sunggyu let out a deep breath as he watched the younger round the corner. His mind was already writing up his stipulations. They began to pile up one by one. He puffed out his cheeks. It was going to be a late night.

And it was going to be even later. Boohyun was waiting for him outside of his chamber doors, still with that stoic expression as he leaned against the stone wall. "Boohyun-ssi," Sunggyu greeted with a forced smile. "What brings you here?"

"You," he spat with a gruff voice. A part of Sunggyu was surprised when he answered. This was the first time the Crimsonite had ever spoken to him, and it was as dark and husky as he imagined it, full of malice (the two had met on several occasions before, but Sunggyu would be whisked away to return to his studies, and Boohyun to train. So was the fate of the first in line). Boohyun crossed his arms over his chest. "We weren't too pleased with your announcement tonight, especially when Woohyunnie told us that you were marrying that f***ing Greenie." The cute words sounded odd on his coarse tongue. 

Sunggyu chewed on his lower lip in thought. He hadn't foreseen this, and really he should have. The Greenlands and the Crimson Isles weren't exactly mortal enemies, but they sure as Hell didn't like each other. Sunggyu should have known that the Nams, his dearest allies, would disliked it, even if their own kin had arranged it. 

"But," Boohyun interrupted as if it were a cough. "We've decided to overlook it, considering how much you've already done for us."

Sunggyu put his hands in his pockets and cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

Boohyun closed his eyes briefly, as if what he was about to say was hard for him. "Woohyun, you've entrusted your future and the future of Crystal Shores in him. This is a big achievement for us. We've never been more than basically mercenaries and hired killers, dogs to these people. Now Father won't f***ing shut up about his son the diplomat and about how he's getting offers from other kingdoms to do the same." Sunggyu looked up at that; he didn't know that. Woohyun hadn't told him. Woohyun who loved to talk, especially to brag, never told him about the offers. "Father was f***ing beaming all day." _Really?_ thought Sunggyu. _If that's him happy, I'd hate to see him angry_. "And did you see the way he stood up for him?" Finally some traces of emotion started to show on his face, a twinge of jealousy and something else. Admiration? "He was always the favorite, the stupid runt."

"It's really nothing," Sunggyu replied with a wave of his hand. He then recalled something his father had told him ages ago that had always confused him until now, after spending extended time with the Nams. "My father had once said that yours was his best friend. And this is what friends do for each other. They trust."

Boohyun nodded, allowing the words to sink in and think of what to say next. "Good. The feeling's mutual then." He walked up and placed his hand on Sunggyu's shoulder. He could see where the dragon had bit him; the area was discolored and bumpy from venom. He could see the veins in his hands bulge as Boohyun clutched tighter. Sunggyu tried really hard not to wince in pain and beg him to let go, but he couldn't fight back the girlish squeal that passed his lips. Boohyun smirked and leaned forward until Sunggyu could feel his rough whiskers against his ear. "That runt's my favorite too. Look after him well. Or you'll have to answer to me," he threatened. Then Boohyun pulled back, and his eyes smiling for a brief second before he clunked his way down the hallway.

Once Sunggyu learned how to breathe again, he chuckled softly to himself. Boohyun pretended to be upset, but he was really just looking out for and was bragging about his little brother. It was sweet actually. Although Woohyun was the black sheep, it didn't mean he was ostracized from the others. If anything, they probably loved him more for it.  _What's so scary about the Nams?_ Then a sharp pain shot through his shoulder as he moved his arm; he could feel a bruise forming. _Oh yea, that_.

* * *

The room was dark, save for the flicker of candlelight, but Sunggyu couldn't rest yet. The contract wasn't complete yet, and his languid mind wasn't helping. His eyelids were slowly drooping, and it became a Herculean labor to keep them open. He shook his head and slapped his cheeks, rousing his mind. Then he looked down at the page laid in front of him. There was a long black line across it. He must have drawn it when he drifted off. Sunggyu threw back his head and groaned in frustration, kicking his feet under the table like a child throwing a tantrum.

There was a knock at his door. "Hyung-nim?" a small voice came from the other side of the door. _Woohyun? Since when did he knock?_

"Hyun?" Sunggyu responded, unsure that his friend was really on the other side. The door opened just a crack, and the Crimsonite poked his head through the small opening, timid. Sunggyu furrowed his brows. "Uh, you can come in."

Woohyun walked inside and closed the door behind him softly. "Are you working on the contract for Myungsoo?" he asked as he let his hand off of the brass knob.

Sunggyu nodded. "Yes, but how did you know?"

"Because I know hyung-nim. You wouldn't get married without one," Woohyun answered with a small smile as he shuffled up to the desk and looked over the paper. "So, the end of this week?"

"Tomorrow, actually. We're going over the contract after the coronation," Sunggyu explained, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he stretched. "I should have told you. I don't know why I didn't. This is your job," he grumbled and mused.

Woohyun pulled up a chair next to him, taking the paper off the desk. "Yea you should have," he mumbled, concentrating on reading. "This is horrible," he chuckled. "The revenues from each kingdom will be kept separate," he recited in a drool voice. Woohyun then sighed looking at the page, "Why am I not surprised?" He grabbed a quill and several sheets of paper. "Here, hyung-nim, I'll help. I'll write down the important things." He walked off to the other side of the room where another table lied (a low one, so one would have to sit on the floor to write on it). He began writing furiously as soon as his quill touched the page.

Sunggyu stretched his neck to get a better look. "What important things?" he asked. Woohyun just hummed happily in response, ignoring the elder. So the prince stood up and stalked over to the low table. "Hyun, what are you writing?"

Woohyun quickly splayed himself across the paper. "No! I'm not finished. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow," he teased, knowing that Sunggyu hated when others kept secrets from him. Even now the Crimsonite was taking extreme delight in the prince's pouting face. "You go write your boring business jargon." He waved the other off. "Go."

Sunggyu grumbled a few curses before returning back to his own desk. _It's my f***ing life. It's my marriage_. He sat down in his chair and glared at the other across the room. Woohyun's eyes too were narrowed and focused on the page. His mouth was silently muttering everything that he was writing. One of his fingers were brought to his lips, pulling at them as he thought. Sunggyu snorted and shook his head. _And to think I thought this kid would slaughter all of the suitors. Speaking of which_..."So you said that you read the Odyssey?" he asked.

Woohyun lifted his head, his gaze still downward. "Yea, but I only got to that part, hyung-nim. It's a _really_ big book, and I kind of didn't want to read anymore after I figured out..."

"I said that I was sorry," Sunggyu cut him off before Woohyun could guilt him anymore. Woohyun grinned. "But have you ever noticed how Sungyeol is a lot like Antinous? He's agitating all of the suitors. He's like their ringleader," Sunggyu joked.

"Antinous? The guy who got killed first?" Woohyun asked. _Of course he would only concentrate on that part_. Sunggyu nodded slightly. "I guess you're right," he muttered, but then he mouthed something, like he was beginning to speak. But he held it back and returned to his task.

"Hm, what is it? You look like you have something you want to say. You've never held yourself back before, why now?" The prince was growing frustrated at the Crimsonite's newly found sense of caution. Knocking on doors before entering, holding his tongue, what was next? Asking for permission to approach him? Sunggyu never thought that he would miss the other's brashness. And now he was practically begging him to say something impolite and over-the-line like he used to.

"It's just that," Woohyun started but paused almost immediately after. He looked towards Sunggyu almost apologetically. He began again, "People always see the suitors as the greatest threat to Odysseus and Penelope's marriage, but it was really...Calypso."

Sunggyu's mind conjured up the image of the beautiful sea nymph Calypso, alone on her island, looking desperately for companionship only to find Odysseus whose one true desire was to return back home to his wife (of course he stayed on the island for seven years, but with an offer of immortality and being consort to a goddess it would be hard for even the most upstanding human to refuse, Sunggyu included). It was a sad image, always imaging her with permanent tear-stained cheeks and a whimper on her lips as she looked out into the vast ocean for something, anything. She hardly seemed to be the villain. Sunggyu challenged, "Why's that?"

Woohyun cleared his throat before answering, still unsure. "Because she not only would destroy the marriage but she'd destroy who Odysseus was. With her, he wouldn't be the king of Ithaca, he wouldn't be a father to Telemachus, and he wouldn't be human anymore either."

"But he'd be immortal," Sunggyu retorted with a wiggle of his eyebrows, but he could soon tell that the Crimsonite was being dead serious. A little too serious. The prince looked at his friend curiously. "Are you saying that I have a Calypso? Who? Myungsoo?" Woohyun shrugged, avoiding his questions. But Sunggyu still had one more, nagging in the back of his mind. "Do you think that he actually likes me?"

Woohyun burst into a roaring laugh. "You," he wheezed. "You, Mr. Marriage-is-all-business, are worried about him liking you?" He was rolling about under the table until his leg hit the side hard. He immediately stopped laughing (but Sunggyu started where he left off, laughing at his misfortune) and rubbed his new sore spot with a grimace on his face. His eyes were fixed on his leg as he asked in a low voice, "Does it even matter?"

"Yes."

Woohyun faced Sunggyu, shocked. "Why do you like him?"

"No," Sunggyu answered honestly and returned to writing the contract. He could hear the other let out a deep breath, which made the prince smile. He continued, "At least not yet or not in that sense. I enjoy his company. I like him as a friend." Sunggyu lifted his gaze towards the other who was watching him with a resigned expression. "It would just be nice if the feeling was mutual."

It wasn't the fact that Sunggyu didn't trust the Greenlander that caused him to have some doubts about the match. It was more that he didn't know Myungsoo as much as he would have liked. A month was hardly enough time to really know someone, especially when both's attention was divided, concentrating on political matters. Also Myungsoo's relationship with Sungyeol came as a shock, as did his defense for the Saffron prince. Sunggyu never told the other about the failed and misguided tryst, but he was afraid that the Greenlander might have known, might've been in on it from the beginning. The suitors really damaged his sense of trust and faith in people.  _Maybe once I marry Myungsoo, he and Sungyeol will have me killed and they'll take over Crystal Shores. My mom will die of depression. Hoya and Woohyun will probably try to avenge my death. They'll go beserk and kill everyone. But most importantly I'll be dead!_

"You know," the Crimsonite ripped Sunggyu away from the mental picture of his palace burning to the ground with a giant Sungyeol prepared to smother the burning ashes with his foot. "There's a way we can find out: truth potion."

Sunggyu nodded as he mulled that idea over. Dosing someone with truth potion before entering negotiations wasn't unheard of, but typically both sides would take it willingly (although there was no need for Sunggyu to imbibe it. He was already sincere in his intentions). But then he recalled something Woohyun had told him earlier, "I thought you liked doing things the old fashioned way."

"I don't think you'll like the old fashioned way, hyung-nim," he said with a shake of his head.

Sunggyu propped his elbows on the table and brought his fingers to his lips. He was intrigued. "Try me," he challenged. 

Woohyun put down his quill and stared up at the ceiling, deep in thought. "Well, I guess first we'll have to get him down to the  torture chambers, but that will be easy. Just put a bag over his head and a few well aimed punches and then he'll be knocked out. Then...hey, do you have any rusty pliers?" 

"Okay, okay," Sunggyu gave into defeat. "We'll just use the truth potion."

* * *

 Sunggyu woke up early the next morning, still at his desk with his cheek pressed against a hard cover of a book. The bright morning light woke him up as the rays fell onto his face. Smacking his lips, he studied his surroundings with half-opened eyes. Woohyun must have left at some point in time; the low table was empty. He even took his papers with him. Sunggyu frowned, all the sudden feeling alone. He glanced down at his desk, and his eyes laid on his substitute for a pillow,  _The Lives and Ways of the Crimson Isles._  All of the sudden, Sunggyu felt very very awake. He had almost forgotten in the whole rush of last evening. His eyes dashed over to the low table where the Crimsonite was last night, as if he was still there. Then the prince immediately threw open the book, practically ripping the pages from the binding in his frantic search. He didn't know how much time he had left. Then after a few moments, he found it:

**Chapter 43: Skinship**

**Section 16: Kissing**

**While those from the red isles tend to be free with some forms of skinship (refer back to section 5: Bone-crushing hugs), kissing is a different matter; it is an act of the upmost trust in a person. Because of this, they seem to be more free with sexual intercourse. The Crimsonites believe that the only thing that separates humans and beasts is this extra touch of intimacy: animals don't kiss but humans do. It's the only thing that transforms simple mating into making love. For them a kiss symbolizes sharing a breath, thereby sharing a life together.**

Sunggyu felt his throat constrict, his mouth dry. He reread the passage several times, but the words never changed. Instead they became engraved in his mind.  _Woohyun, he_...

There was a knock at his door. "Hyung-nim? Are you awake? Can I come in?"

"Huh?" Sunggyu gasped as he snapped his head towards the door. He pushed the book off of his desk, and it landed on the floor with a loud clunk. Then another crash filled the room. Woohyun had thrown the door open after hearing the noise. He frantically scanned the room.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, after seeing Sunggyu sitting calmly (totally faked) and slightly sleepy behind his desk. 

"Eung," Sunggyu responded, fiddling with his jacket. "I just dropped something," he lied. Woohyun nodded lazily, rubbing his eyes. The prince noticed the large dark circles under the Crimsonite's eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Eung. Just didn't get much sleep," Woohyun answered while yawning. He then stretched and groaned greatly. His joints were creaking with each motion. Sunggyu had a sneaking suspicion that 'not much sleep' really meant 'no sleep at all.'

"I didn't either," Sunggyu confessed.

Woohyun slowly walked over to the desk. Once he reached it, he played with the edge with his finger. "Big day," he added. Sunggyu nodded, bringing the conversation to a halt. An awkward and uncomfortable silence fell between them. All that could be heard was Woohyun's finger hitting the edge of the desk in a rhythmic pattern. 

"Hyun," Sunggyu finally broke the silence. Woohyun looked up, and their gazes met for the first time this morning. "Does...does your father only kiss your mother? And none of the other wives?"

Woohyun looked surprised. "Hm? How did you know, hyung-nim?" he answered.

 _So it's true_. Sunggyu shook his head. He can't think of this now, especially not today when he was going to meet Myungsoo in a few hours.  _To get married. To get f***ing married_ , he reminded himself. "Forget it. Just forget it," he insisted with a great big sigh and wave of his hand. He rubbed his temples, attempting to clear his head. "Do you have your contract?" he asked, his eyes still closed. He felt Woohyun tap his shoulders with the papers. Sunggyu opened his eyes and took the papers. "Good. Wait...why is it so heavy?"

"Well," Woohyun yawned again. A satisfied smile appeared on his face. "I had a lot of...stipulations."

"Like what?" Sunggyu asked with a raised eyebrow. Woohyun gestured with a nod of his head towards the stack. Sunggyu groaned, gave in, and read:

**How to have a successful marriage with Kim Sunggyu:**

**1\. He'll deny it, but he loves to be hugged. Hug him at least once a day (but twice would be best). Hug him even when he looks grumpy. That's when he needs it the most.**

**2\. Once Sunggyu gets into his bed, he won't get out. That's how much he likes his bed. The only way to get him out is to sit on him. He doesn't like this because he can't breathe.**

**3\. Don't call him GyuGyu. That was his childhood nickname. It makes him feel like a kid. He's a grown man.**

**4\. But this grown man still loves to be babied, so you should-**

"Yah!" Sunggyu yelled, hitting the Crimsonite with his 'manual' after rolling it up. "What is this? Am I a dog? And half of these aren't even true! I don't like to be babied," he reprimanded, hitting the other with every word. But in spite of the hits, Woohyun was still smiling. As the prince was about to strike him again, with his speed, Woohyun grabbed the paper from the other's hand with ease and unfurled it.

"Oh, uh, wrong one," he said with a sheepish giggle. Then he bent down to go through a bag that Sunggyu's tired brain didn't even register that he brought with him. "Like I keep on saying," Woohyun spoke as he went through it, pulling out another stack of papers. "I know people, hyung-nim." He stood up straight and handed the other manual to him. "Here's yours."

**How to have a successful marriage with Kim Myungsoo:**

**1\. Myungsoo gets obsessed with things easily, so don't be surprised if you eat the same meal for months. And he won't ever get bored of it like he won't get bored of you. =_=**

**2\. He's a very tactile person and skinship comes easy to him, so don't be jealous if he touches someone else. And if you mention it, he'll think that you don't trust him.**

**3\. Speaking of touching, he loves touching hair, so keep yours long but not really long. That doesn't look good on hyung-nim.**

**4\. Myungsoo is more talkative than he looks, so close your mouth and let him talk every once in awhile. And listen! He has more worries than you think.**

Sunggyu's eyes drifted down the page. There were several more of these, and several more pages as he flipped through the rest of them. It seems that Sunggyu's previous suspicion had been right; there was no way that the Crimsonite even with all of his speed could have written all of this and still have gotten a wink of sleep. He looked back up at Woohyun, whose body was unconsciously wobbling, weak. His eyes were red. The dark circles were almost joining at the bridge of his small, pointed nose. Guilt started to rise in the pit of Sunggyu's belly. Boohyun had been wrong. Sunggyu hadn't done much for Woohyun, but Woohyun did a lot for him.  _Too much_. "You put a lot of effort into this," he praised.

Woohyun's smile widened. "Welp, you need to put in a lot of effort to make a marriage work," he chirped happily.

Sunggyu bit his lip.  _Idiot, I'm the one who's supposed to put in the effort._  "Thank you, Hyunnie," Sunggyu said as he placed the manual on the table. Woohyun hummed happily in response, putting Myungsoo's half back into his bag. The prince watched him carefully. "And if this all works out, what are you going to do?"

The Crimsonite's face fell. "I have offers to do the same for other kingdoms," he replied. "So I might go and travel the world."

"You're leaving?"

Woohyun put the bag back on his shoulders. His eyes met with Sunggyu's again and lingered there for awhile before he responded. "Well, there's no reason for me to stay." He looked away. "Especially when I'm needed elsewhere."

"I guess that would be for the best," Sunggyu said in a strained voice. He then cleared his throat and stood up (with few creaking and groans), collecting his own contract in his hand. "So are you ready?" he asked.

"Yep," Woohyun responded. "I'm ready to see the new king wear his crown," he said with a proud smile, patting the other on the shoulder. Sunggyu smiled briefly but it was soon replaced with panic.

"Shit! The coronation! I forgot!"

* * *

 The ceremony took place in the oldest, most ornate church in the city, which happened to be also the smallest. Inside it was overcrowded and overly hot. Every citizen and dignitary tried to cram themselves into the tight space. The air was warm and sticky. All with that, the ceremony was too long, and Sunggyu had to kneel for the most of it.  _Damn rituals_. He dabbed the sweat from his forehead.  _If I continue to sweat like this, the crown will fall right off_. He lifted his eyes to the droning priest in front of him. He wondered if priests taught each other to speak in a slow, monotone voice intentionally to bore everyone into submission. The prince then risked a quick turn of his head, scanning the audience behind him. His mother was quietly  crying, which wasn't surprising. She also cried at every single milestone of his life including his first step, his first lost tooth, the first time climbed a tree (which also happened to be the first time he fell from a tree. She cried then too), everything. Next to her, Myungsoo stood, handing the queen a handkerchief, looking a bit at a loss for how to calm her (even more at a loss when she threw herself into his arms and started bawling). Next to him was Hoya, who was reprimanding the prince with his eyes, telepathically telling him to turn around and carry on with the ceremony. Sunggyu ignored it and instead followed the sound of soft snores that was coming from the other side of the church. It was the Nams. Both brothers were flocking their father, with their heads on his high shoulders, completely asleep. The king had his mouth hanging wide open, with drool falling out of it along with the snores. Somehow, it reminded Sunggyu of two young bulldogs, snuggling up against their father. Then a cough came in front of him, tearing Sunggyu's attention away from the crowd. It was the priest with a stern look on his face and the crown in his hands.

"I repeat," he spoke aloud in his dreary voice. "Do you pledge your heart, your soul, your life to this kingdom and swear to serve it for all of your days?"

"Ah, yes. I do," Sunggyu answered quickly, bowing his head. Shortly, he felt the great weight of the too big crown being placed on his head. He buckled a little before straightening out again.

"Now rise, King of the Crystal Shores."

And Sunggyu did so, slowly and carefully so that the crown would not slip from his head. And along with him, applause grew from the audience. He turned around and his eyes met with Myungsoo's who was beaming and clapping louder than most.  _I swear to serve it for all my days_.

* * *

 After changing into a fresh set of clothes (everyone's were thoroughly soaked in sweat from the ceremony), Sunggyu met with Myungsoo and Woohyun in a small room, sanctioned off for private meetings. Hoya also insisted on coming along in case things took a turn for the worst, and Sunggyu couldn't think of any reason to turn him away. Besides, they were best friends for years; Hoya needed to be there. The new king was the last to enter the room. The other three were standing around awkwardly. Myungsoo was throwing worried glances towards Woohyun, who was pestering his favorite captain, who was currently ignoring him. "Sorry for the delay," Sunggyu apologized as soon as he entered.

Myungsoo was the first to speak up, "Don't apologize."

"Yes, hyung-nim," Woohyun jumped to his side. "We were just about to have some tea," he announced with an obvious wink. Sunggyu wiped his face with his hand. The Crimsonite was anything but subtle. He turned to face the Greenlander to see if he picked up on the hint. Sunggyu smiled when he noticed Myungsoo was currently making a paper crane with a torn piece of his contract. Well, it was a good thing that Myungsoo was anything but attentive.

"Yes let's have some tea before we begin. Woohyun, do you mind?" he gestured to the Crimsonite.

Woohyun walked over to the side table where the supplies lied. "Not at all, hyung-nim." Sunggyu could see Hoya rolling his eyes. He caught onto their awful acting and thankfully kept quietly about it, after all their plan wasn't exactly kosher. Woohyun walked back to the table where Sunggyu and Myungsoo were now sitting. "Myugsoo-ssi," he said, offering a cup. The Greenlander bowed and accepted it. "Hyung-nim," Woohyun gave a cup to Sunggyu with a mischievous smile.

"Thank you," he said as Woohyun sat next to his side. They all took a long sip from the cup. "Now to business," Sunggyu announced. "Do you have your-"

"My tongue feels all tingly," Woohyun interrupted with a loud smacking of his lips. He turned to the king in a state of panic. "Is it supposed to be like this, hyung-nim?"

Sunggyu's eyes grew round and wide. His jaw dropped, his tongue rolled a bit outside of his lips. It felt like sparks were flying on it. There was only one reason for this malady. Sunggyu punched Woohyun in the shoulder. "Nam Woohyun, you didn't?!"

Myungsoo looked about, confused. "Didn't what?"

Woohyun looked downcast at the table, rubbing his shoulder and pouting like a wounded puppy. "Well, it wouldn't be fair if he was the only one to drink it," he grumbled. "We all need to be honest right now." Hoya began to sputter into a laugh, having realized what happened.

Myungsoo was still lost. "Drink what?"

"The truth potion," Sunggyu growled. He punched Woohyun a few more times. "Aish! You're the weirdest Crimsonite ever!"

"Wait," the Greenlander spoke up from the other side of the table. He was slowly putting the pieces together. "Truth potion?! Is that why mah ton fweels num?" His tongue unfurled outside of his mouth, obviously bereft of feeling.

"That feeling will go away...hopefully," the king sheepishly answered.

"Hoffelly?!" Myungsoo repeated in shock, his tongue still outside of his mouth.

"Yah!" Woohyun leaned across the table, calling the Greenlander's attention. "Your face," he gestured to his own. "Is it all natural?"

"Uh, yea," the other responded.

Woohyun sank back into his seat, disappointed and kicking his feet. "Dang it...life's unfair."

"Hyung," Myungsoo started, staring straight at Sunggyu. The kind felt his stomach plummet seeing his hurt look. The Greenlander was stretching his mouth, trying to regain feeling and once he had, he asked, "Why'd you do this? Don't you trust me?"

"No," Sunggyu answered honestly. Myungsoo looked down, defeated. "But I really don't trust anyone. Except for Hoya and my mother,"  _and Woohyun_ , he held back on the tip of his tongue. The only way to overcome the terrible potion was to hold back, bite your tongue. There were somethings better left unsaid.

Myungsoo nodded, understanding. "I know what you mean," he confessed. "I don't trust many either. If people don't flatter for my position, then they do because of my looks. And I never know if people ever like me for me."

"Oh cry me a river," Woohyun complained. 

Myungsoo's eyes darted over to Woohyun and narrowed, growing more dark than Sunggyu had ever seen before. "I was talking to Gyu-hyung. And why are you even here, Red?"

Woohyun looked as if was going to pounce over the table but settled for gripping its edge. "I'm his adviser,  _Greenie_ ," he spoke through gritted teeth. Then he turned to the king next to him with a hurt expression. "Why does he get to call you Gyu-hyung, and I have to call you hyung-nim, hyung-nim?"

"That's because you're his subordinate," Myungsoo remarked with a snide tone.

"Yah! I'm a prince just like you," Woohyun fought back.

Myungsoo scoffed, "Of the Crimson Isles. Half of the islands are princes."

"There's only 50 of us," Woohyun grumbled. "You're just jealous."

"Of what? Never having a possibility of sitting on the throne unless I kill all of my siblings?" the Greenlander retorted. "It's not like that  _never_  happened."

"That only happened once 600 years ago, you little-" Now Woohyun was crawling over the table, and Myungsoo was trying to hide under it.

Sunggyu faced Hoya and gestured at him to interfere and, well, beat them until they got along, but Hoya was too amused in the fight to even consider putting an end to his entertainment. So Sunggyu had to. "I DON'T WANT TO MOVE TO THE GREENLANDS," he shouted. The fighting duo suddenly stopped and faced him. Slowly and stunned they returned to their seats. "Yes, it's pretty and green, but it's also hot and smells like poop. And cows can be very mean. And I want to stay here. I like being king. I like telling people what to do. I like having power. It makes me feel good."

"Wow!" Hoya was the first to speak. "That doesn't sound tyrannical," his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Yah! You didn't drink the potion. You can't talk," Sunggyu pointed and ordered him.

"So," Myungsoo began, still processing the new information. "You don't want to live with me, but I can't stay here, which means..."

"This won't work out," Sunggyu finished for him.

"Wow," the Greenlander sank down in his seat. "This sucks." He looked up at Sunggyu, more hurt than before. "I really hoped that this would work out. I really like you."

Sunggyu smiled at that. "I did too. I really like you too,"  _as a friend, maybe a brother_. 

"So what now?" Myungsoo asked with a sniff.

"I'll probably marry...someone," he bit his cheek harshly, fighting back words from spilling out. He could taste a drop of blood on his tongue. "What about you?"

Myungsoo's head was bowed down towards his lap. "I'll go home, and I'll find someone there. It's a big country with lots of people," his voice was breaking slight.

Sunggyu reached over and patted his head. "You won't stay single for long, Myung. Not with that handsome face," he tried to cheer the other up, and the Greenlander did emit a small giggle, but there was also a noticeable whimper.

"Yah, are you crying?" Woohyun teased with a smile.

"Shut up!" Myungsoo yelled, lifting his head and wiping his tears. "I'm sad. This is what sad people do."

"It's what sad girls do."

"Yah! Both of you just be quiet! And Captain stop standing there and do something useful for once!"

* * *

 After Hoya forcibly extracted Woohyun from the room (he and Myungsoo kept snapping at each other like cats and dogs), Sunggyu finally had the chance to settle things with his almost-betrothed. The king didn't want the other to leave, thinking that Sunggyu didn't care for him. He did, but the circumstances kept them apart. "Maybe if we lived in a different world, in a different time" Sunggyu mused. Myungsoo nodded sadly. Then they hugged each other one last time and said their farewells. And when Sunggyu left the room, he was soon joined by an overly excited, overly happy Crimsonite.

"Gyu-hyung!" he greeted, and Sunggyu let it slide with a bite of his tongue. "We have to talk."

Sunggyu stopped, and his face paled. "A-about what?"

"Your marriage, hyung! You told everybody that you'd get married by the end of the week, and now you're single. And we have to start from square one!" he reminded Sunggyu. Then he grabbed onto Sunggyu's arm with a tight grip. "And now that you drank the truth potion, I can finally get a straight answer from you," he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows as he dragged the king back into his chambers.  _Bastard_ , Sunggyu cursed,  _it's like he planned this_.

Once they were in Woohyun's chambers, the Crimsonite walked over and sat behind his desk. After bringing out his large codex full of potential mates, he opened it up and was ready to take notes. With a groan, Sunggyu sat on his bed. He was tired and not ready for this, not at all. His heart was racing, and his cheeks were growing hot. He tried to blame it on the side effects from the potion, but he knew what it really was. And it made him even sicker. "So, hyung, boy or girl?" Woohyun asked.

"Boy," the answer slipped passed his lips unwilling.  _Damn, I have to be careful_.

Woohyun faced him with a wide smile. "I thought so." Then he turned back to the codex and crossed off the names of all the girls. "Older or younger?"

"Younger."  _Damn it. Not now. Not like this._

"Should've figured," Woohyun mumbled. "You like power. It makes you feel good," he teased. Then he yawned greatly as he crossed off a few more names from the list. "Wow, Gyu. I'm really tired. I didn't get any sleep last night, writing those rules, but it looks like I just wasted my time, huh Gyu?" He stretched backwards and looked at Sunggyu while hanging upside down.

"It wasn't a waste," Sunggyu replied.

"To be honest, I'm not even listening," Woohyun admitted. "So sleepy," he yawned again. "I'm probably going to take a little nappy nap," he said, laying down his head on the desk. "I'll just rest my eyes for a few seconds. Just wake me up in an hour, hyung." His eyes fluttered shut, and in a few seconds he was already asleep.

The king stood up from the bed, with a blanket in hand, and walked over. He draped the blanket over Woohyun and poked his cheek. "Thank God, you don't know how to shut up," he teased. Then he spotted a stack of papers peeking out from under the codex. It was the manual written for Myungsoo. Curious, Sunggyu bent down, slowly tugging the papers from under the heavy book, careful not to disturb the slumbering boy. It was tricky, and he almost failed. The book had slipped a little too far. With a quick hand, he was able to stop the book from failing over. He let out a sigh of relief, eyes drifting back to Woohyun, who didn't even budge. Sunggyu grinned.

He took the manual and then returned to the bed, flipping through it as he sat down. He read it from front to back and was astonished that Woohyun knew so much. He must have gathered information from his mother and the staff, probably even his beloved Ho-hyung. Inside, not only Woohyun had recounted his quirks but also his preferences, like what foods he ate, what he refused to eat, what side of the bed he tended to sleep on, even some childhood stories that explained the scars on his body. It was everything that one would need to know to marrying him. After reading this, it would be like Myungsoo had known him for years, and not just a month. But what really struck Sunggyu were the last two rules:

**99\. He can be oblivious sometimes, so be blunt with him. It won't seem like it, but he appreciates the honesty.**

**100\. Let hyung-nim visit his home once every other month. He'll get homesick and miss his mother if he doesn't. He'll also miss me too, so let him play with me once in awhile.**

Sunggyu grinned and put the manual down, staring at the sleeping man in front of him, watching his back rise and fall with each deep breath he took. "I'm not that oblivious, you idiot," he whispered. He walked up to the desk, looking for something else. After a few short seconds, he found what he was looking for. He dipped the quill into the ink well and wrote down a few words. Satisfied with his job well done, he took a piece of wax and affixed the paper onto Woohyun's forehead with it. "See you in the morning, Hyunnie."

* * *

 "What the Hell is this? A joke?" Woohyun angrily burst through Sunggyu's chamber doors. It was late in the morning, and the king was at his desk, approving legislation about trade. He looked up from his work and was blinking at the other, confused until he saw the Crimsonite shaking the piece of paper only inches away from his face. He smiled. It was Woohyun's resume, and Sunggyu had written on it last night, "I choose this one."

Sunggyu pointed to the paper. "No, I'm serious. I made my decision. Make it happen," he coolly responded and turned his attention back to to documents. But then the document was ripped from his hands, falling onto the floor, and the inkwell was spilled, staining Sunggyu's white gloves.

"Yah! Watch it!" Sunggyu reprimanded, pulling back his hands from the black pool growing on his desk.

Woohyun took Sunggyu's collar into his fist and lifted the other from his seat. Bringing his face centimeters from the king's, Woohyun hotly growled, "No,  _you_  watch it."

Sunggyu lifted his chin defiantly. "I told you. I made my decision." He tore off Woohyun's grip from his collar (who obviously wasn't holding on too tightly if Sunggyu could break it). "I don't know why you're objecting to it. I'm a king. I'm handsome." Then a wicked smile broke across his face. "And you kissed me.  _You_  want to spend your life with me."

The Crimsonite took a step back, stunned, but he quickly recovered. He scoffed and poked a tongue in his cheek. He clapped his hands together. "Congratulations, Gyu. You know that I like you." Then he lowered his head and glowered at Sunggyu, his fists clenching tightly. Woohyun poked the other in the chest (knocking some of the air out). "But I'm not marrying you like some business deal. I'm not getting involved in a one sided affair. I have too much pride for that. Find someone else." Woohyun then turned around, stomping towards the door, dropping Sunggyu's confession onto the floor and treading on it.

But before his fingertips could graze the doorknob, Sunggyu objected, "No." Woohyun dropped his hand to his side and faced Sunggyu with a stone face. The king stepped out from behind the desk, taking off his stained gloves, allowing them to drop to the floor. And Woohyun's stone face began to crumble, unsure and afraid, which made Sunggyu's confidence grow. After standing in front of Woohyun, he took his bare hand and interlaced it with the Crimsonite's. It was warm (and slightly sweaty). The king hummed happily. Woohyun, on the other hand, looked at the hands dumbfounded. "Who said it was one-sided?" Sunggyu asked in a husky voice, bringing his other hand to Woohyun's jaw, bringing it up until their gazes met. Woohyun's eyes darted all over the other's face, but Sunggyu was just watching his thumb trace the Crimsonite's jawline. He then leaned forward and kissed where his thumb was. The king continued to press light kisses from the jaw up to Woohyun's plump lower lip, which he then took in between his own. After that short kiss, Sunggyu pulled back slightly, only centimeters apart. With his eyes still closed, Woohyun shivered, inhaling deeply the scant air between them. He squeezed Sunggyu's hand as he opened his eyes again, boring into the other's.

Woohyun's free hand gripped onto the nape of Sunggyu's neck, brushing against the short hairs, and brought him into another, more desperate kiss. In response, Sunggyu wrapped his free arm around the other's waist, bringing them so close that not even a wisp of air could pass through them. He then tilted his head, changing his angle and access to Woohyun's mouth, but Woohyun wasn't about to back down, become submissive. He opened up Sunggyu's mouth, giving room for his tongue to explore. And as they kissed passionately, they never stopped holding hands. It felt too good against Sunggyu's skin.

This time, Woohyun was the one to pull back, planting one last kiss in the corner of the king's mouth. He smiled victoriously and poked Sunggyu where he had just kissed him. "You like me?"

Sunggyu leaned forward and pecked him again. "Do I have to say it?" he asked. "Do you want me to tell everyone? The whole city? Make a huge deal out of it?" Sunggyu proposed as if it was preposterous.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea."

* * *

 And within a few moments, Sunggyu found himself on the balcony, overlooking the entire city. All of the citizens were crowding under it, bustling and whispering to each other about what the 'super important' announcement the king was about to make (yes, Woohyun was the one who spread the message and pushed an unwilling Sunggyu out onto the balcony). Sunggyu turned around, begging the Crimsonite with sad eyes to let him off the hook just this once (in fact he kept saying "I like you" to the other, hoping that would pacify the Crimsonite, but Woohyun insisted that Sunggyu needed to make the announcement anyway). Woohyun shook his head and prodded the other on the behind, goading him into action. Sunggyu's pout deepened as he turned back towards the crowd. "Uh, I have an announcement to make," Sunggyu said quietly, but the megaphone in front of him amplified his voice nonetheless. "I'm marrying this guy," he announced, pointing to Woohyun next to him. A loud murmur began to ripple through the crowd.

"Aaand?" Woohyun said.

Sunggyu hung his head in embarrassment. "And I...love him," he added. Woohyun was beaming at that, after all 'I love you' is so much better than 'I like you.'

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHH?!" unanimously rose from the crowd below.

Woohyun's face fell as he marched to the edge of the balcony, gripping onto the edge and yelling at the people below, "EH?! What do you mean 'Eh'?"

"What happened to Prince Myungsoo?" a random woman shouted in response. "Yea, we liked him!" another agreed, and several other voices joined in the jeering.

"I'm way better than that Greenie. And more handsome," Woohyun defended himself. A condescending laugh could be hear from below. "Yah! Don't laugh." He pulled himself back up and turned towards the king. "Gyu-hyung, is this a prank?" he asked in all seriousness and then he snapped back at the crowd, "Hey! I said no laughing!"

Sunggyu walked up, wrapping his arms around the other, and kissed him on the temple to calm to other down. "Why are you so cute?" he teased, ruffling his hair.

"You know what? They're kind of cute," the same woman who asked about Myungsoo shouted. Others voiced their approval and began to slow clap.

Woohyun grinned goofy. "Gyu, look. They like me!" he chirped. 

And Sunggyu grinned along with him. "Of course, who wouldn't?"

* * *

 Within a few days, Sunggyu found himself looking out the window again like he did when he dressed for his father's funeral, but this time he was changing into another suit, a red one. He laughed to himself as he buttoned his collar. Today was the first day in a long time that he had woken up by himself, and hopefully the last. He was about to put on his gloves, when there was a knock at his door. "Come in," he said, folding the gloves in his hands.

"Your highness," Hoya announced. "A gift from the groom, well the other one...It's from Woohyun." He held out a piece of parchment, rolled up and tied with a white ribbon.

"Thank you, Captain," Sunggyu said as he took the parchment. He unfurled and immediately broke out into a laugh of disbelief.

**How to have a successful marriage with Nam Woohyun:**

**1\. Woohyun loves to cuddle, so let him hug you at least once a day. Even if you don't want to, let him do it anyways (hugging 20 times a day would be best).**

**2\. Don't spend all night and day working. Make some time to play with Woohyun. It'll make you less stressed too. =_=**

**3\. Although he may act confident and be the best man in all of the lands, sometimes Woohyun can be insecure. So whenever he looks down and looks like he wants to be alone (he doesn't), stay with him and tell him you love him (you know you do).**

**4\. As long as it's with Kim Sunggyu, everything will be okay.**

"Is there anything you want to give in return?" Hoya asked, tearing his attention away from the gift. "You probably should. You know how he can get."

"Right, right," Sunggyu agreed, scanning around the room, wondering what gift he could conjure out of thin air. He then looked down at his hands and was struck with an idea. He scurried over to his desk and jotted a quick note on a small piece of parchment. After the ink had dried, he tied the note to the gloves with the same ribbon Woohyun had used. "There," he said proudly. He handed the gift over to Hoya and turned around to finish dressing.

"Woohyunie, you are my gloves now. You protect me, make me feel safe, and keep me warm. Love, Gyu," Hoya recited in a high pitched voice. "Ugh!" he retched. "Permission to throw up, your highness, all over this card? So cheesy."

"Yah!" Sunggyu shouted, turning back on his heels towards the captain. "That was a private message! Don't you have any respect?"

Hoya clicked his heels together and saluted. "I have a lot of respect, sir, for you. And I'll follow you until the end," he sincerely spoke. He returned to his normal posture. "I'll deliver the message. Congratulations, your highness, and good luck. You'll need it," he wished. Then he left.

Sunggyu chuckled to himself, "Who's being cheesy now?" He walked over to tie his tie around his neck. It felt strange. He could feel every fiber against his bare skin, and he wasn't used to feeling so naked. Soon, he reminded himself. You'll see him soon. Then there was another knock at the door. "Captain, I'm not in the mood to deal with you," he grumbled.

"Then are you in the mood to deal with your mother," the queen's gentle voice wafted through the air. She walked up to her son and straightened his tie. The tears were already forming in her eyes. "You look so handsome. I'm so glad you finally found someone. Life is always better with someone by your side. The highs and highers, and your burdens are lighter when you have someone to share it with."

"And the hard times aren't so hard," Sunggyu added. She nodded, tears already spilling out. Sunggyu wiped them away, feeling the wetness sink into his skin. "Are you ready, mother?"

"The better question is 'are  _you_  ready'?" she rephrased. "I'm not the one getting married."

Sunggyu glanced down back at the manual, reading the last rule again. "Yea, I am."

* * *

 This time Sunggyu insisted on having the ceremony held in the largest cathedral in the city. He didn't need another reason to sweat besides from his overwhelming nerves. They also needed the space to accommodate all of Woohyun's family, who filled up most of the building. The only downside to the location was that it was dark, but the sparse candlelight reminded Sunggyu of the night on the beach, especially with the way the light was being cast on Woohyun's face as he walked down the aisle.

"Hi," Woohyun whispered excitedly when they both finally stood side by side in front of the altar.

"Hey, did you get my gift?" Sunggyu asked in a hushed voice.

Woohyun nodded as he reached down, enveloping both of Sunggyu's hands with his own, rubbing his thumbs against the backs. "I'll do a good job, I promise."

"As long as it's Nam Woohyun, everything will be okay," Sunggyu reworded, cringing at his own cheesiness. Hoya was right, and he felt like throwing up as well. But he felt a tight squeeze on his hands and saw the happy twinkle in Woohyun's eyes. As long as it made him happy, then it was okay.

* * *

 “Come then...and let us two go up into my bed so that, lying together in the bed of love, we may then have faith and trust in each other," Sunggyu read outloud. He then snapped his grandfather's book shut and looked down at the man snuggling against his chest. "And that's basically the end of the book. Good night, Hyunnie," he wished, patting Woohyun's head as he placed the book on the nightstand. He was about to lean over to blow out the candle when Woohyun stopped him, pinning him down against the bed.

"Is this really how we're spending our first night?" Woohyun asked, hovering over the other. "You read me a bed time story, and we just go to bed?"

Sunggyu sighed and pulled Woohyun back down to his chest. "What do you expect? I said that I like you, and then the next minute we're engaged, and shortly after that we're married." He paused for a bit, and he could feel Woohyun nodding along with everything he said, his coarse hair brushing against his chest. "It's time we slow things down. It's not like we're in a god-damned fairy tale or something," he joked.

Woohyun flipped over so that he could look Sunggyu in the eye, his chin digging into the elders skin. He grinned. "But if we were, I'd be your knight in shining armor, right hyung-nim?"

"No!" Sunggyu scoffed. "Because that would make me the damsel in distress. If anything I'm Prince Charming, and you're a troll," he ended, messing up Woohyun's hair and dragged his hand across his frowning face.

The Crimsonite then batted the hand away and grinned again. "Who needs a kiss to become a prince?" he amended with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Sunggyu stretched his wearied limbs."Eh, sure why not?" he reluctantly agreed with a gaping yawn. And once he opened his eyes again, he found Woohyun's face hovering over his own. "W-what are you doing?"

Woohyun leaned forward, his hot breath glancing against Sunggyu's skin. "Getting my kiss," he said in a low voice. He brought his head down a little bit more, and Sunggyu's eyelids fluttered closed awaiting the promised peck. But instead, the Crimsonite quickly changed directions and blew out the candle next to them, plunging the whole room into darkness. "And maybe a bit more."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter titles and some passages here and there were taken from the Odyssey...and I'm too lazy to look up where.


End file.
